‘Nearly Rs 10 Cr PF Dues Pending in 4 Tea Gardens Under Centre in Bengal’

Workers protest delayed provident fund, salaries and gratuity

MP  |  Kolkata | August 2, 2025 :  Provident fund worth nearly Rs 10 crore is due in four tea gardens of Bengal that fall under the aegis of the Central government. The amount has been pending since September 2023, the Ministry of Heavy Industries admitted in a reply to a question posed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Ritabrata Banerjee in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Workers of the four tea gardens under Andrew Yule and Company Ltd — Karballa, New Dooars, Banarhat, and Choonabhutti — have been protesting over pending dues, including provident fund, gratuity, and salaries. Agitations have been ongoing in front of these gardens, with workers demanding immediate clearance of their dues. Around 100 tea garden workers also staged a protest at the Andrew Yule head office in Kolkata.

The Banarhat and Karballa tea gardens come under the Dhupguri Assembly Constituency, while New Dooars and Choonabhutti fall under the Nagrakata Assembly.

“In June, there were two conventions involving these four tea gardens, where I was informed that since September 2023, the workers of these four tea gardens are not getting their PF amount deposited in their respective accounts. I raised the matter at Rajya Sabha through a question, and the Ministry of Heavy Industries, in a written reply, has admitted that PF amounting to Rs 9.81 crore is due,” — Ritabrata Banerjee, TMC MP

The reply from the Ministry also states that Andrew Yule has been facing an acute financial crisis in the tea sector, primarily due to pest and fungal infection attacks on the tea plantations.

“The deprivation of the tea garden workers proves that the Modi government has been apathetic towards the tea garden workers. We will continue our protest against such apathy of the Centre,” — Ritabrata Banerjee, State President, Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC)

The situation underscores the ongoing financial distress and long-standing demands of tea garden workers for fair and timely disbursement of entitlements.