Two staffers of Panighatta working without pay just to supply drinking water

EOI, PANIGHATTA (MIRIK), 7 Feb 2016: While hundreds of workers of the closed Panighatta Tea Estate have been forced to stay without any work since October 10, estate staffers Dhurva Sharma (56) and P K Pal (54) have been regularly operating the Grid Power Distribution Panel that supplies drinking water to the 2000-odd families without receiving any salary. “We are working voluntarily after the garden’s closure because if we don’t, more than 5,000 people will die of thirst,” said Sharma. “After the garden’s closure, all workers have been forced to stay indoors, but we decided to work regularly only for them and their families’ sake.”

He is an A grade technical staff who operates three 438 KVA machines and two 25 HP motors, while Pal is the chief electrician who has to remain alert 24/7. Pal said, "We are not receiving any money from the management. If we stay away from work, thousands of people will not get drinking water. So we have decided to work regularly until the garden reopens." Amar Gurung, another staffer, said, "We are thankful to these seniors who have been attending to their duty without receiving any salary just to supply water uninterruptedly." Meanwhile on Friday, the management was asked by the government to positively attend the February 18 meeting to discuss ways to reopen the garden. State labour minister Malay Ghatak has instructed owner Shankar Sharaf to restart work soon failing which the state government would take over the garden’s management. Sharaf said he will pay a week’s wages to all workers on February 11 and a half-month’s salary to the staffers and other subordinates on February 17.