Second closed garden with state

TT:Nov. 18: The state government will take over the closed Dharanipur Tea Estate in Jalpaiguri's Nagrakata, the subdivisional officer of Malbazar told garden workers today.

The state has cancelled the lease granted to the owner.

This is the second shut garden in the Dooars that the government would acquire. Last month, the lease of Bandapani garden in Alipurduar district had been cancelled and the state acquired it.

Officials said Robin Paul, owner of the Redbank Group, was reluctant to reopen Dharanipur that was shut on October 19 last year. Two other estates of the group, Redbank and Surendranagar, are also closed.

"After the owner abandoned the garden without even paying the bonus, we are in a pathetic state. In the past one year, there has been no initiative from the owner to re-open the garden. When ministers and government officials had visited the estate we had requested them to find a new owner," Budhua Oraon, one of the 550-odd workers, said. "We are looking forward to see a new owner resuming the operations."

Today, SDO Jyotirmoy Tanti visited the garden with officials of the district land and land reforms department and police and told labourers about the state's decision.

"On October 28, the state had announced that it will acquire the garden and the district magistrate of Jalpaiguri instructed us to take possession on November 10," he said. "Today, we took possession of around 1,100 acres and properties on it. The notice of acquisition has been put up."

Seven Dooars estates, Patkapara, Dheklapara, Bandapani, Redbank, Surendranagar, Dharanipur and Madhu and are shut.

"We appreciate the state's decision to find new owners but so far, nobody has taken over Bandapani," Chitta Dey, the convenor of Co-ordination Committee of Tea Plantation Workers, said. "We want the state to take up an aggressive exercise and scout for investors." Amarnath Jha, Nagrakata block Trinamul president, criticised Paul. "Condition of workers at Redbank and Surendranagar is equally bad. We hope Dharanipur gets a new owner soon," he said.