‘Agents propped by tea garden management creating unrest over handing of pattas’

Amitava Banerjee | MP | 20 Aug 2023 | Darjeeling: “If there is too much protest regarding the handing out of pattas for tea gardens, the state government might stop handing them out. In this way, we will lose what is rightfully ours,” said Anit Thapa, president, Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) and Chief Executive, GTA. 

He assured that after homestead pattas, he will ensure that workers rightfully get agriculture land pattas as well. He fu
rther added that handing out land right documents is a big loss for the owners (management) of tea gardens and hence they have propped up a “group of agents” who are protesting against the handing over of pattas and instead trying to foment unrest. 

This is being done so that they don’t have to part with the land under tea gardens, he stated. Incidentally, the Bengal government recently issued a notification that homestead pattas of 5 decimal of unused land would be handed over to each landless tea garden worker. 

The state had asked the concerned authorities to draw up a list of the beneficiaries as well as conduct a survey of unused land in the tea gardens. However, the Hill Opposition parties are now protesting the handing over of pattas claiming that these pattas are meant for refugees. 

“It is easy to protest. What is the alternative as per your suggestion?” questioned Thapa. The BGPM president was addressing a gathering at Longview Tea Estate on Sunday where he assured that he would take responsibility to get pattas for the agricultural land of tea garden workers.

“I fail to understand why the protests. Is it intentional? What is your alternative then? Tell us. The Hills don’t need protests. The Hills need alternatives. Earlier, they had stated that Permanent Political Solution (PPS) is an alternative to Gorkhaland but where is the PPS?” questioned Thapa. 

He said that rumors are being spread just to create trouble. “Rumors are being spread that after handing out pattas of 5 decimals to the landless labourers in tea gardens and that the remaining unused land will be used to rehabilitate Rohingya refugees,” he said. 

Thapa added that pattas would result in losses for the owners. “The owners are seeking legal intervention against the government’s decision to hand over pattas following a nod from the Bengal Cabinet,” stated Thapa. Pattas have been distributed in some closed tea gardens. 

“In Chunabhatti, pattas were distributed in 2013. The residents who had received the pattas can now avail loans. The land belongs to our ancestors and no one can take it away from us. However, we did not have valid documents for the land and this is what we are trying to do — hand out land right documents,” explained Thapa. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/agents-propped-by-tea-garden-mgmt-creating-unrest-over-handing-of-pattas-529886