Plastic atta distributed among tea workers claimed

Prashant Acharya, EOI, SILIGURI,  20 Jun 2017: After seizure of plastic peas, eggs and rice now a shocking complain has been raised by the tea garden workers of receiving plastic flour (Atta) by the management of the tea gardens of Dooars.

Workers of Satali Tea Garden under Hasimara block on Tuesday came with the flour (Atta) at Siliguri to show that the ration they are receiving are made of plastic.

A group of female workers demonstrated before media by mixing the flour in the water and burning in the fire after which smell of plastic came out.

A daily wage worker Anjali Lakra said, “We have been eating chappatis of the said flour since couple of months but when the workers of nearby tea garden warned us about plastic smell, we all were shocked. We burnt the balls of the flour and found it of plastic.”

She said that their children has been eating the chappatis prepared from plastic since many days and now they are worried of its affect.

Jayeti Malla another worker blamed the tea garden management and the state government both responsible for the distribution of plastic atta among the tea garden.

The workers informed trade union leaders including veteran INTUC Darjeeling dist president

Aloke Chakraborty, DTDLPU backed by GJM leader Harihar Acharya, CPIML leader Abhijit Mazumdar, CPM leader Gautam Ghosh and others.

Aloke Chakraborty said, “State government is totally responsible for the distribution of ration.”