Joint Forum of tea workers plan legal steps against Anit Thapa demanding pandemic relief fund release

EOI, DARJEELING, JANUARY 3, 2023: The Joint Forum (Hills), an amalgamation of trade unions based in the Darjeeling hills, has threatened to file a petition in the court against Chief Executive Officer of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Anit Thapa, demanding relief fund collected during the pandemic be distributed to the tea garden workers.

JF spokesperson Sunil Rai said on Tuesday the GTA Chairman's Relief Fund should be disbursed among the tea garden workers.

"Funds to the tune of over Rs.2 crore have been collected from the citizens in the name of the tea garden workers. It is therefore pertinent that the fund begiven to the workers and not be utilized for other things," he said.

Rai was participating in the month-long protest programme organized under the banner of Gorkha Swabhiman Sanghursh (GSS), brainchild of Ajoy Edwards the president of the Hamro Party (HP), set up with the goal to restore democracy in the hills. When the first wave of the Coronavirus pandemic hit the country which induced a lockdown, the GTA had started collecting funds that were to be given to the tea garden workers, expected to be the worst hit.

Over Rs.2 crore had been collected and Thapa was the GTA chairman then. He had promised that the council body would make a matching grant contribution. 

However after the lockdowns were relaxed, the GTA chairman made an announcement that the relief fund would be utilized to construct a Shramik Bhawan in Siliguri for the benefit of tea garden workers. This has been opposed by other political parties. Rai said it was the duty of the government to construct a Bhawan. 

"Funds have been collected from the general public. So there is no question of utilizing public money. We want the funds to instead be distributed among the workers. If the GTA fails to heed to our demand then we will be forced to go to the court," he said.

Thapa, who is also the president of the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha that now heads the GTA has asserted that he would take a referendum from the workers on how best to utilize the collected fund. 

The JF said the BGPM now facing allegations of buying municipality councilors and GTA Sabhasads was not to be trusted with the relief fund.

"It is sad that the BGPM is using the mandate of the people that voted for them to make money. Tea garden workers have also voted for the BGPM. However the BGPM is engrossed in bribing the civic body councilors and Sabhasads,"said Rai.

The GSS is attracting the support of several political parties, including the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists, the CPI(M) and unions and associations opposed to the BGPM, in its ongoing month-long program. 

The GSS was floated by Edwards after 16 councilors of the Darjeeling Municipality owing allegiance to the BGPM moved a no confidence motion against the civic body chairman. The HP had earlier won the civic polls and formed the civic board.