The meeting convened by labour minister Moloy Ghatak to resolve the bonus issue for tea workers in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) area ended inconclusively.
Hundreds of people staged a dharna (demonstration) in Kurseong since morning, protesting the death of a 15-year-old girl, who was hit by a toy train.
Amid ongoing protests by a section of tea workers in Darjeeling Hills, who have halted plucking of green leaves over pending bonus payments, labour minister Moloy Ghatak has stepped in to resolve the crisis. He has called for a meeting on 3 April in Siliguri to address the issue.
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.
Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) chief Anit Thapa on Saturday reaffirmed his commitment to holistic development in the Hills, citing multiple infrastructural projects initiated in ward 45 under GTA’s jurisdiction.
This meeting comes in response to growing unrest among tea workers, who have been protesting under the banner of over eight trade unions.
The Tea Workers’ Protection Committee (Chiya Shramik Suraksha Samiti) in Darjeeling has called for an indefinite bandh in the Hills starting Monday after the tripartite meeting convened by the Labour Department ended inconclusively today over the demand for a 20 per cent Puja bonus for workers in the 87 Hill tea gardens.
Ahead of chief minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to Siliguri, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista has called for her intervention in resolving the ongoing bonus dispute in Darjeeling tea plantations, under the jurisdiction of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).
Mr Bista also emphasized that, as per Section (21) of the Act, land and land revenue matters are within the purview of GTA, not the state government.
The TMC Siliguri district president, Papiya Ghosh and BJPM president Anit Thapa were present.
