Hailakandi, April 10: The monthlong row over the irregular payment of the wages and arrears, including provident fund, which led to casework in Hatikhira tea estate in Karimganj district, was resolved amicably yesterday.

Hatikhira is about 35km from Karimganj town, which is around 400km from Guwahati.

About 2,000 labourers are working in the garden, which is not in a very good shape.

The management of the garden has also decided to release arrears and PF within the next two months.

The casual labourers of Hatikhira tea estate have not been getting their arrears, including provident fund, since 2015 and their daily wages were also irregular during the past one week.

The labourers declared ceasework three days ago on the issue.

Former parliamentary secretary Monilal Goala visited the garden and held a series of discussions for the withdrawal of strike but failed.

Labourers informed Goala that they will resume work if they get the wages and arrears. Later, Patherkandi MLA Krishnendu Paul met the agitating labourers and assured them that he would take up the matter with the authorities and administration. This led to the lifting of the ceasework.

Later, Karimganj deputy commissioner Pradip Kumar Talukdar asked the garden authorities to sort out the issue amicably.

Yesterday's four-hour meeting was attended by Talukdar, MLA Paul, Monilal Goala, garden authorities and representatives of the labourers.

Paul said the garden authorities have agreed to release the arrears and provident fund within the next two months and the wages will be released very shortly to the labourers.

He said the labourers have been asked to resume their work. He was optimistic that the tea garden will be able to overcome the financial crisis completely within the next few years.

The management of the garden was tight-lipped over the issue.

Santosh Ree, 46, a casual labourer of the garden, said they are facing extreme hardship because of the non-payment of arrears and irregular wages and threatened to start a movement again if the garden authorities failed to clear the dues on time.