GNLF prod on garden

TT, Siliguri, Feb. 5: The Himalayan Plantation Workers' Union, the GNLF's trade union for tea garden labourers, today said it would take up with the Darjeeling district magistrate the suspension of work in Simulbarie estate and alleged opposition to the management's bid to plant saplings.

Kalyan Bagdas, the GNLF union's unit secretary in Simulbarie, said a delegation would meet the district magistrate on Wednesday and seek his help to end the impasse.

The management of the garden, located off Rohini Road and around 15km from here, had announced suspension of work on January 31 after a section of workers had put up resistance to the planting of tea saplings on fallow land of 30 acres.

Bagdas alleged that some workers were encroaching on the estate's land with the backing of local leaders of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

"The entire workforce of the garden shouldn't suffer because of the wrongdoings of some," he added.