Bista demands tea garden people's right to ancestral land

SNS, SILIGURI, 23 FEBRUARY 2022 : At a time when top officials of the state government, following instructions from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, have been trying to settle with planters the long-standing demand of tea workers for land rights. 

Darjeeling's BJP MP Raju Bista has claimed that the vilest Bengal government was once again indulging in fraud and subverting the rights of the tea and cinchona plantation workers by giving them right to only five decimal land, instead of giving them Parja Patta to their ancestral land.

It may be noted here that handing over five decimal land to the homeless and landless was initiated by the West Bengal government in 2011 itself under the 'Nijo Griha Nijo Bhumi' scheme.

"Our tea garden workers and cinchona garden workers in Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars are not landless or homeless. We have our ancestral land, and we have our homes also. What we don't have is the documents to our land, which the West Bengal government is refusing to hand over even 75 years after Independence," Mr Bista said, adding, "We are not seeking anything from the Government, other than 'Parja Patta' to our existing ancestral lands. 

We are not seeking 'Refugee Patta' which the Trinamool Congress-led state government wants to give: we are seeking documents of our existing ancestral lands."

"Since my election as the Member of Parliament from Darjeeling, I have raised this issue at every forum, and have put pressure on West Bengal government by demanding Parja Patta rights in the Parliament, and taking up the issue with the concerned ministries," Mr Bista said.

"Recently, the Parliamentary Committee on Commerce, of which I am a part, had made a strong observation against the lack of land rights for the tea garden workers, and had recommended immediate granting of land rights to them in its 171st report," the MP said.

According to Mr Bista, the Centre has already communicated with the state government the need for granting land rights to tea garden and cinchona garden workers already.

The central Ministry of Commerce has already sent two letters to the state for granting land rights to tea workers, and similar letters have been sent by the Ministry of Rural Development as well.

"I fear that the Trinamool led state government is scheming to take away ancestral lands from the people, and planning to declare anything above these five-decimal, where our people grow vegetables, maize, rear goats, cow and chicken, grow oranges, cardamom and ginger as illegal and steal it away from our people. In all likelihood they are eying these land to build more 5-star hotels," Mr Bista, who is also one of the MP's national spokespersons, said.

"This is very dangerous, we should all become aware of the nefarious agenda of the state government. We will not allow TMC to steal land back from the tea garden and cinchona garden workers. We demand full Parja Patta of our ancestral land," he said.