Police case against GP Goenka

G.P. Goenka

TT, Jan. 16: A worker from a Duncans tea garden in the Dooars today lodged a police complaint against company chairman G.P. Goenka and the estate's superintendent manager, alleging non-payment of wages and dues.

Last November, a labourer at a Duncans garden in Darjeeling had lodged an FIR accusing the estate management of not paying workers' wages for almost a year. The CID is probing the case.

In his complaint with Metalli police station today, Somra Kumhar of the Nagaisuree Tea Estate in Jalpaiguri accused the company of "cheating".

On January 12, the management had shut down the garden citing its inability to pay wages and rations to workers but revoked the decision within hours.

Kumhar wrote he had been "depositing/deducting fees" for "PF, gratuity, rations, LIC premiums".

"Our company has been cheating us by not depositing our PF, gratuity, rations, LIC premiums, arrear wages and other benefits," the complaint says.

It alleges that the company has funnelled the money earned from selling tea produced at Nagaisuree into "sister concerns of Duncans Industries".

C.P. Kapoor, the superintendent manager at Nagaisuree who has been named in the complaint, said Duncans was trying its best to clear the dues.

"As far as the police complaint is concerned, we have nothing to say as it is a legal issue.... As far as clearing the dues of workers is concerned, we are putting our best efforts to garner funds from various resources to pay them at the earliest," he said.

The police have started a case under penal code Sections 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent).