Threat to tea garden from mining gang

Charge: Those engaged in extracting minor minerals use estate roads forcibly

Tractors and trucks engaged in extracting sand and stones from the Rakti river near Siliguri :

The Telegraph

TT, Siliguri, 12.06.24 : The management representatives of a tea estate near here have alleged that a group of people involved in the mining of minor minerals like sand and stones intimidated them for not letting them use a road that connects that garden and is taking away mounds of earth from vacant stretches on the plantation.

Debasish Sarkar, the general manager of the Putinbarie tea estate in the Matigara block, said they felt insecure about running the garden.

“Those engaged in extracting sand and stones from the Balason river run their vehicles through the garden’s main entrance. This is affecting the garden’s roads. As we have restricted the movement of such vehicles, they have resorted to intimidation and threatened me and some other officials with dire consequences,” said Sarkar.

Located in the Terai, the garden is spread over 650 hectares and has tea bushes on around 425 hectares. The estate has about 700 workers.

Sarkar said those people stopped a vehicle carrying tea from the garden on June 7. The following day, when he went to the spot, they abused and threatened him.

“The vehicle carrying tea was released only after police intervened,” he said.

Sarkar informed the Terai Indian Planters’ Association (Tipa), of which Putinbarie is a member, about the incident.

M.K. Maitra, the secretary of Tipa, has filed a complaint at Matigara police station. “Such highhandedness is affecting regular activities of the garden. The police should do the needful to ensure that the garden runs without any problem,” he said.

Sources in Putinbarie said, on the one hand, those associated with mining want free access through the garden.

“On the other hand, they are collecting earth and sand from Rakti, another river which flows through the garden, and from the garden’s vacant land. This is our leasehold land and such activities are completely illegal,” said a representative of the garden.

Further, because of unscientific digging of vacant land which is close to the river bank, water from the river is flooding tea plantations and eventually affecting the production of tea.

“The garden is already under distress because of low yield and some other issues. Now if such activities continue in the garden, it would pose a question over the sustenance of Putinbarie. We hope the administration and other authorities concerned will intervene to stop illegal activities,” said a tea planter based in Siliguri.

Senior officers of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police said they were looking into the issue.

“We are gathering information about the charge,” said a police officer.