Tea Workers set to seek land rights

SNS, SILIGURI, 25 JANUARY: Tea workers in the north Bengal tea belt, comprising the Terai, the Donors, the Hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong and even the non-traditional tea belt in North Dinajpur and Cooch Behar districts, will start appealing to authorities concerned and demand land rights very soon. Leaders of Joint Forum, a conglomeration of 23 trade unions working in tea gardens took such a decision after serving a deputation to the Commissioner, Jalpaiguri Division, Barun Ray, at Uttarkanya here yesterday.

It may he mentioned here that hundreds of tea workers staged a demonstration here yesterday, demanding implementation of the Minimum Wages Act in the tea industry.

Several tea workers, mainly in the Hills, the Terai, and the Dooars have been demanding land rights for the past many days. As Adivasi people in many tea estates in the Terai and the Dooars have been demanding land rights (Patta), tea workers in Mirik, Kurseong and Darjeeling have been demanding deeds of land, on which they have been living for the past several years. Notably, a section of the tea workers at Mirik had decided to support the Trinamul Congress after chief minister Mamata Banerjee, during the civic body election campaign, assured that the government would resolve the problem of land rights there.

According to official sources, the state government has already informed planters that it would 'acquire' the land, which is lying idle for the past many days. The state has also alerted the planters that lease hold land will be utilized properly either by planting tea or  implementing other prescribed projects, including horticulture.

During the interaction with the Jalpaigur Division Commissioner, yesterday, Joint Forum leaders urged him to initiate the process of providing household land rights to the Landless poor residents in tea plantation areas.

"Having no household land of their own, the poverty-stricken residents of tea gardens are facing a myriad of problems when it comes to availing of the different government welfare projects. The issue of household land rights of tea garden residents is becoming an important factor as they try to live secured and dignified lives," the Forum pointed out.

Asked to comment, the spokesperson of the Joint Forum. Ziaul Alam, said: "Despite the over century-old settlement of the most socio-economically  weak section, especially the tribal people in tea plantations, the families there are yet to have household land rights."

"The Commissioner has suggested how we should go about demanding the land rights. The tea workers will start applying to appropriate authorities demanding such rights," he added. The Forum has also demanded immediate disbursement of "unpaid portions", of the bonus for tea workers in the Hill's. It has further pointed out the around 50,000 workers, who are now working in extreme inhuman conditions because of the closure of several gardens, particularly those belonging to the Duncan and Alchemist groups.