Crisis in North Bengal tea belt continues as another tea garden shuts in Alipurduar

Since last Wednesday, work has stopped at the Kalchini tea estate in Alipurduar district. On

Friday, the management issued a notice announcing suspension of operations. The decision has left around 2,000 workers jobless

The Kalchini tea estate factory in Alipurduar.: Picture by Anirban Choudhury

TT, Alipurduar, 04.11.23 : The crisis in the Dooars tea belt continued to deepen with the management of another tea estate announcing suspension of work on Friday while the management of another garden that closed down around three weeks ago formally expressed inability to run it.

Eight tea gardens are lying closed in the Dooars. An equal number of gardens are closed in the Darjeeling hills.

Since last Wednesday, work has stopped at the Kalchini tea estate in Alipurduar district. On Friday, the management issued a notice announcing suspension of operations. The decision has left around 2,000 workers jobless.

In the notice, the management has mentioned that over the past few months indiscipline among a section of workers, coupled with hooliganism, had led to lawlessness in the garden.

“There had been disruptions in day-to-day operations. Some workers were not even doing their daily work for eight hours. Also, there have been incidents like cutting of shade trees (which provide shade to tea bushes) which has led to crop loss. That is why the decision has been taken,” said a source.

Tea trade union leaders, who have termed the decision unfortunate, said the management had resorted to such a step to save money during the lean season.

“The production of tea will stop in another few weeks as the lean season (winter) is ahead. That is why the management came up with certain baseless allegations and closed down the garden. It has been done to evade payment of wages to workers during the lean season,” said Om Das Lohora, the central committee secretary of the Trinamul Cha Bagan Workers’ Union.

The workers, he said, will soon reach Siliguri and demonstrate in front of the garden owner’s house, while demanding that the estate should be reopened immediately.

On Thursday, the state labour department convened a meeting to end the impasse of Raimatang, another tea estate in Alipurduar district.

On October 11, the management had closed down the garden, which employs around 1,200 workers, following disagreements over the rate of bonus.

“The management didn’t attend the meeting and instead wrote to the state labour department that it is not in a position to run the garden any further. The future of the workers is uncertain,” said a source.

Courtesy & source- The Telegraph