Two tea gardens close down in Darjeeling Hills in a day

Amitava Banerjee | 29 Sept 2023 | Darjeeling: Management closed down two tea gardens in Darjeeling back to back. Chongtong and Nagri closed down from Friday with the Management putting up closure notices on Thursday night. 

Both the gardens are run by the Lemongrass Organic Tea Estates Pvt. Ltd and they have blamed a financial stalemate with a bank for this decision. In the notices in both the gardens, the Lemongrass Organic Tea Estates Pvt. Ltd. has blamed a Bank for not settling “pending issues” for this. 

Owing to the financial stalemate between the bank and the Management, the tea gardens have been closed down till further notice.

The notice stated: “The Management informs all its employees with deep regret that in spite of best efforts by our Company and the directives of National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, Delhi to UCO Bank, Kolkata to settle pending issues within 21 September 2023, the said bank has however refused to comply with the directive to resolve the subject.” 

Owing to this “the Company is left with no alternative but to withdraw its Management w.e.f 28.09.2023.” 

The notices claimed that the company while operating the tea estate from November 28, 2022, to September 28, 2023, had cleared pending liabilities of the employees, sundry creditors and statutory dues and had suffered huge losses. 

“Necessary payments to the workmen upto 28.09.23 shall be paid by the Company as and when it becomes due in due course of time” added the notice. The Management urged the Bank to resolve the subject in the larger interest of workers and their families. They have also requested the workers to maintain peace. 

“Before closing down, during the plucking season during monsoons they made us work 8 hours. We worked extra time also. They all said that both the quality and quantity of tea have been good. But as soon as the plucking season was over, the garden has been closed down. 

Till entry time (when the plucked leaves are deposited and entry is done) on Thursday evening we didn’t even know that the garden was being closed down. When we went home we got news that a closure notice had been put up and the Management have left the garden. 

Our houses run on this wage. It’s festive time and we get bonus at this time to buy new clothes for our children for Dasain and Tiwar festivals. We do backbreaking work and this is what we get in return. What will we do now? “ questioned a worker of Nagri Tea Estate. Prior to this Lemongrass Organic Tea Estates Pvt. Ltd had closed down Mondakotee Tea Estate on September 25 citing similar reasons. 

While Chongtong is located in the Pulbazar block of Darjeeling, Nagri is located in the Sukhiapokhari block in Darjeeling. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/two-tea-gardens-close-down-in-darjeeling-hills-in-a-day-534792