Not a time for tea

In history we have read about the woes of tea plantation workers under British rulers (Editorial, Sept.11). Now, post-Independence, it is disconcerting to read that there has been no real change. The facts — of a daily wage of Rs.95 and starvation deaths — are heart-rending. With so many job opportunities outside plantations, workers should think in terms of migrating in search of other jobs.

R. Padma Kishore,Jinnuru, Andhra Pradesh

Estate managements are unwilling to take responsibility for ensuring the well-being of their workers and their families. The tea business may be a profitable one, but how ethical is this profitability in the context of the standard of well-being of workers? In short, profitability seems to revolve around tea estate owners and managements alone.

Jyoti,New Delhi

It is unfortunate that the government and the media are turning a blind eye to the plight of tea estate workers. Tea-pickers and other workers, most of them women, need better standards of living. There must be basic amenities and rights such as good housing, education and health care.

T. Kiran Kumari,

Hyderabad