Tea estate workers threaten indefinite hunger strike over dues
Joining their protest, organisations Nagarik Manch and Srijan have also pledged support, intensifying the pressure on authorities and estate management.
Three tea plantations in Jalpaiguri district, which were abandoned in 2013, will start operations very soon, additional labour commissioner Md Rizwan said today. The new management finally agreed to reopen those plantations after a marathon meeting with Trinamool Congress-backed trade union leaders in the office of the Additional Labour Commissioner at Dagapur in Siliguri today, it is learnt. According to Md Rizwan, M/S Sushil Tea Pvt Ltd has taken over the Surendranagar Tea Estate at Banarhat and the Red Bank TE in Jalpaiguri.
Both the gardens were abandoned on 19 October 2013, and the state government terminated its lease on 14 November 2014 and 21 November 2014, respectively. The new management has agreed to reopen it on 11 August after a bipartite agreement was signed based on 21 conditions related to payment of due wages and other facilities, sources said. Similarly, Grin Tea Trading Pvt Ltd has taken over the Dharanipur Tea Plantation located at Nagrakata in Jalpaiguri.
It was abandoned on 21 October 2013 and the government had to terminate its lease on 18 October 2014. The new management has agreed to reopen it from 1 August. “Since 2014, several meetings were held to reopen the gardens, but no fruitful results had come out and there was no ray of hope of reopening of the three tea estates. The Trinamool Cha Bagan Shramik Union finally took initiatives to reopen those abandoned tea plantations,” a source said.
Advertisement
Advertisement
