Second tea garden in Dooars closes

TT, Alipurduar: The management of the Mujnai Tea Estate in Alipurduar has announced suspension of work at the garden.

This is the second garden in the Dooars to close down in the past 24 hours.

On Tuesday morning, the management of Chengmari Tea Estate had announced suspension of work following demonstrations by a section of workers and alleged assault on the manager on Monday. Due to the closure, around 6,000 people had become jobless and on Wednesday, another 1,000 workers of Mujnai faced the same crisis.

In the notice that the Mujnai management has served in the garden, a number of reasons have been mentioned, which sources said, have led to the decision.

"On Tuesday, an assistant manager had asked some workers to carry out pruning in a plantation but they refused. Some had threatened the managerial staff. This is one of the reasons which made the management take the decision, said S. Guha Thakurata, secretary, Dooars Branch of Indian Tea Association.

Mujnai Tea Estate. File picture According to garden sources, after serving the notice, all the managerial staff had left the garden by late Wednesday evening.

The workers however, are not ready to buy the theory and said that was some misunderstanding over work. Union leaders have also blamed the management.

"There was a misunderstanding between workers and some managerial staff at the garden. The management however, exaggerated it and took the opportunity to announce suspension of work as production," said Mannalal Jain, a leader of Bagan Trinamul Congress Mazdoor Union.

"We have come to know about the Mujnai Tea Estate. A tripartite meeting will be convened immediately to reopen the garden," said Chandan Dasgupta, joint labour commissioner, Siliguri.