Garden owner accuses councillor of tea theft

TT, Siliguri, Nov. 4: A tea garden owner in Jalpaiguri has accused a Trinamul councillor of stealing leaves worth Rs 1.35 crore after fomenting workers' unrest that led to the closure of the estate thrice since November last year.

Niranjan Todi, the owner of the Manabarrie Tea Estate in Malbazar that employs 750 workers and produces 4.5 lakh kg of tea a year, has written to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking her intervention and naming local municipal councillor Pulin Goldar. Goldar has denied the allegations.

Todi, the director of Todi Tea Company Ltd that owns Manabarrie, told The Telegraphtoday: "After the garden had to be closed (for the third time, on October 8), Goldar's people started plucking tealeaves by using a section of workers and some residents. They have been selling the leaves outside."

He sent the letter to the chief minister's office on Wednesday but is yet to get a response.

Some tea industry sources said there were management deficiencies such as wage dues, unpaid electricity bills, company provident fund contribution backlog and failure to supply ration to workers, reasons behind the earlier closures from November 17 and February 1 and from March 21 and July 29. The latest round of workers' protest, which forced the closure of the garden again on October 8, is over non-payment of Puja bonus.

Todi alleged Goldar had instigated all the protests.

Todi said the garden was closed for the first time on November 17 last year. Several workers who had taken part in the agitation said they had protested the non-payment of wages.

The garden reopened on February 2 following the intervention of the labour department in Siliguri.

In his letter, Todi has blamed Goldar for the second round of workers' strike that began on March 21.

"A series of meetings at various levels were held but as Pulin Goldar was plucking and stealing green leaves from our garden, he did not allow any meeting to be successful. Lastly, (at the instance) of the labour minister, a meeting was convened on July 27, an agreement was signed and the garden reopened on July 29," the letter said.

"During this period (March 21 to July 28), Pulin Goldar illegally and wrongly plucked, stole and sold green leaves worth Rs 135 lakh," it added.

Trouble started again before the Pujas over bonus. Todi said that although the company could not pay the amount demanded, it gave a wage advance.

On October 5, a tripartite meeting was held by the labour department to discuss the bonus issue.

"Bonus was the only issue that required to be sorted out. But this leader, who has vested interests, demanded wages first. He said the bonus could be discussed later. He instigated the workers to demand the advance payment of wages," Todi said.

According to Todi, the workers assaulted some management employees at the instance of Goldar. "After driving out the management staff, Pulin Goldar is stealing tealeaves from the garden every day and pocketing huge amounts of money," Todi wrote.

He alleged a complaint had been lodged at Malbazar police station but no action was taken.

Goldar blamed Todi for the frequent closure of the garden. "The management of Manabarrie keeps closing down the garden on flimsy grounds. The workers are jobless. So they are plucking and selling tealeaves so that they can run their families," the councillor said.

A section of Manabarrie workers began a relay hunger strike in front of the garden today, demanding the reopening of the estate.

J. Tanti, the sub-divisional officer of Malbazar, said the administration was trying to solve the impasse.

A planter said plucking of leaves in closed estates and selling them were illegal. "From the factory machines to the tea bushes, everything is the management's property," he said.