Minister asks Housing dept to finish building houses by year end

Amitava Banerjee | MP | 2 July 2021 | DARJEELING: On his first visit to North Bengal, state Labour minister Becharam Manna instructed the Housing department to complete the ongoing construction of houses under 'Chaa Sundari' project by the end of this year. 

Incidentally, Manna held a meeting with the Labour and Housing department officials at Shramik Bhawan, Mallaguri on Wednesday. The progress of construction of houses for tea garden workers under the project was discussed at length. 

The Bengal government has sanctioned Rs 500 crore under the Chaa Sundari scheme to build houses for workers in 370 tea gardens in the state. In the first phase, as many as 3,694 houses will be built. The project has already commenced in Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Darjeeling districts. 

"I have instructed the Housing department to complete the under-construction houses by the end of this year so that we can start the second phase. A letter to this effect has been written to the Housing department also. Chaa Sundaari is a unique scheme and the tea garden workers should get the maximum benefit," stated the minister. 

He arrived in North Bengal on a two-day tour on Tuesday. He had visited Manabari Tea Estate in the Malbazar Sub Division of Jalpaiguri district. Manabari tea garden was a locked out garden and had reopened in December last year. 

The minister also visited the locked out Bagrakot Tea estate on Tuesday. The garden located in the Malbazar subdivision has 2,000 workers. With the minister's intervention, the garden reopened on Thursday. 

"There are 13 tea gardens closed in North Bengal. We are working relentlessly to reopen these gardens. We are hopeful that we will be able to open up the gardens in a phase wise manner," added Manna. 

(Courtesy & source: http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/data-shows-more-votes-polled-in-certain-booths-than-actual-no-of-voters-445237?infinitescroll=1)