Labour department to file fresh cases against Duncans

Pramod Giri, HT, IANS, 28 Jun 2016: SILIGURI: The state labour department has decided to file fresh cases against Duncans for its failure to give wages and other statutory benefits to workers of seven tea gardens.

Joint labour commissioner Samir Kumar Bose visited Alipurduar on Sunday. He told reporters that the labour department will file cases against the company.

The state labour department conducted an inspection in seven gardens and has prepared a report. The seven tea gardens are Birpara, Garganda, Lankapara, Tulsipara, Huntapara, Dhumchipara and Demdima.

The Union commerce and industry ministry issued a gazette notification on January 28 and directed the Tea Board to take over seven gardens which were defaulting on payment of wages and other benefits to the workers for months. All the seven tea gardens are located in Alipurduar district. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee reached Alipurduar on Monday evening to participate in the celebration to commemorate two years of Alipurduar district.

In Alipurduar, she would also hold a high-level meeting with government officials.

The state labour department had already filed 118 cases against Duncans prior to the Centre’s notification to take over seven tea garden.

DARJEELING: Gork hal and Territorial Administration chief Bimal Gurung sent a memorandum to chief minister Mamata Banerjee as she arrived in North Bengal on Monday. The memorandum talks of alleged grey areas present in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and the hurdles faced in running this administrative setup.dens was issued..

The Centre’s decision to take over the management of seven tea gardens was challenged by Duncans in the Calcutta High Court. Though Duncans lost the case in the single bench court, it has appealed before a higher Bench..

Meanwhile, the situation in seven gardens has worsened with reports of more deaths..

Though the Tea Board is scouting for new firms to take over the tea gardens, only two companies have submitted their bids for Birpara and Garganda tea gardens..

The state government can hardly take any punitive action against the tea garden management. But with Mamata’s visit, people are upbeat that something will be done..

Tea plantation is a central subject and only the Centre can decide what to do to safeguard thousands of workers who are not being paid their wages for almost one-and-ahalf years..

ANOTHER ARREST IN MOWING DOWN CASE KOLKATA: Police on Monday detained a man who allegedly assisted a mini-truck driver who mowed down a woman in Hooghly district while trying to abduct her, and his helper to escape..

Factory worker Jayanti Soren, 20, was crushed under the wheels of the vehicle while resisting the abduction bid late on Friday night in Chinsurah in the district. He coworker, Puja Oraon, also sustained serious injuries during the assault..

While the duo had managed to escape on the night of the incident, police on Saturday arrested the driver Ranjit Baitha who is now in police custody. “We have detained Nand Kishor Rajak who is said to have helped the accused in escaping. We are interrogating him to ascertain his role,” said Hooghly’s SP Pravin Tripathi.