Managers flee from tea garden

Jaigaon: The manager and three senior managerial employees of Dalsinghpara Tea Estate have fled the garden, apparently on the pretext of going to fetch cash to pay the workers their last month’s dues.

The Calcutta-based Octavius Tea and Industries, which owns Dalsinghpara, has also pulled out the managers of two of its other estates in the Dooars. The managers of Dalmore and Sylee have left under similar circumstances.

The workers of Dalsinghpara said the management had announced on January 5 that the dues chalked up in the fortnight between December 13 and 26 would be paid soon. “Later, on the same day, they announced that the payment would be made on January 12,” said a worker.

The management put up a notice on January 14 saying the payment would be made between January 21 and 25. The manager and his subordinates left the garden on the last day.

Currently, the garden is without electricity: the supply has been cut because of non-payment of past bills. As a result, the workers are not being able to run the pumps and are facing an acute drinking water scarcity.

Prabhat Mukherjee, the general secretary of the Intuc-affiliated National Union of Plantation Workers, said Octavius Tea and Industries had taken over Dalsinghpara, Dalmore, Sylee and Nayasylee gardens in June, 2004 after signing an agreement with the Bengal labour department.

“They have not fulfilled a single promise made in the agreement, including payment of the workers’ dues,” Mukherjee said.

“Dalsinghpara has had 15 managers in three-and-a-half years. The current manager is now saying that he will not return to the garden till the owner sends him funds to make the payments,” Mukherjee added.

P.K. Chatterjee, the secretary of the Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association, said he was totally in the dark about the chain of events.

Jalpaiguri district magistrate R. Ranjit said the management had agreed to clear one-third of the electricity bills by January 29. “If they do not pay up as promised, we will take action, but I have not heard that the manager had abandoned the garden. I will look into this.”

Political goons attack tea woman

Jaigaon: Five persons were injured in the second round of attack on women workers at Bharnobari Tea Estate on Friday.

Kamala Bhagwar, 24, has been admitted to the Jalpaiguri district hospital, 100 km from the closed garden, with head and chest injuries.

The victims said goons owing allegiance to the CPM and the RSP — Thule Rai, Rakesh Chhetri and Polikar Chela are some of the names that figure in the FIR filed on Friday — assaulted them while they were returning to the labour colony after a protest rally.

The protest was against alleged police inaction in arresting culprits who had attacked them and members of Cini, an NGO, on May 3.

The attackers reportedly owed allegiance to Suresh and Naresh Agarwal, the financiers who had proposed to run the garden paying a daily wage of Rs 45. The women workers had rejected the offer since the operations and maintenance committee (OMC), which is running the estate now and already paying them Rs 50 per day.

The current convener of the OMC, Madan Sarki, a Citu member, claimed that he was receiving threats from workers, who have sided with the vested interests.

Additional superintendent of police K.B. Dorji said five persons had been arrested on the basis of the first FIR. But they have been let out on bail, a source said.

“If men who mercilessly beat up women go scot-free, we will get together and give them a proper hiding,” said Krishna Baraik, a worker and the vice-president of Jalpaiguri-Hashimara Adivasi Mahila Sudhar Samiti, an apolitical organisation.

Lalita Toppo, another worker, said: “A number of ministers and MLAs are attending Citu and RSP conventions nearby. They are busy discussing the fate of closed gardens, but don’t have time to find out why we were attacked by their supporters twice last week.”

Joseph Kujur, the zonal secretary of the Cha Bagan Mazdoor Union, a Citu affiliate, was adamant in his stand. “Those who are opposed to the financiers running the garden should either take charge of the estate themselves or leave it to us to get the financiers,” Kujur said.

Source: The Telegraph

One more Tea Garden closure at Kalchini Block

Jaigaon: Beech Tea Estate shut down today, taking the number of closed gardens in the Kalchini block to five.

Though the closure notice was issued on April 12, it reached the government on Friday night and the workers are reportedly yet to receive the order.

The labourers, on their part, have kept two assistant managers confined to a bungalow since April 11, protesting against the management for not fulfilling their demands, which include jobs for the dependants of retired/dead employees and payment of gratuity and provident funds.

Source: The Telegraph