The Gorkha Youth Activist Network (GYAN), a group actively researching land rights for tea garden workers in the Darjeeling hills, today released a crucial Right to Information (RTI) response that clarifies long-standing confusion over land allotment policies in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) region.
Advocate Birendra Rasaily, GYAN’s chief coordinator, had filed multiple RTI applications with the West Bengal department of land & land reforms and refugee relief & rehabilitation. The latest response, received recently, addressed two critical questions:
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Is the 2023 Land Allotment Scheme Still Valid in GTA?
Yes. The department confirmed that Notification No. 3076 – LP/1A-04/23 (dated 01/08/2023) remains applicable in the GTA region.
How Much Land Will Tea Garden Workers Receive After Survey?
The department stated it has “no information or documents” specifying the extent of land to be allotted, contradicting widespread claims of full ownership transfers.
Rasaily asserted that the RTI response validates GYAN’s long-held stance while debunking misinformation.
“Some have falsely claimed that workers will automatically get ownership of all land they currently occupy after the survey. The RTI proves otherwise—there is no such guarantee,” he said.
He further warned tea garden communities against being misled by false promises, stressing that historical injustices persist and transparency is crucial.
“We are sharing all facts publicly to ensure workers are well-informed and not exploited by misleading narratives,” Rasaily added.
It is worth noting that tea workers had been protesting against the state government’s decision to distribute land pattas (titles) limited to just five decimals of land in tea plantations.
In response, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Chief Executive Anit Thapa met West Bengal labour minister Moloy Ghatak on 19 February and formally requested that land pattas in tea gardens within the GTA area be distributed on an “as is where is” basis—without any area limitations—and in a fair and transparent manner.
In his letter to Mr Ghatak, Thapa also urged the immediate suspension of the ongoing land survey in tea garden areas under the GTA until a clear and satisfactory notification is issued.
