Solar power to end garden water woes

Workers of two closed tea gardens — Kalchini and Chinchula — will soon get drinking water to be drawn by solar powered-pumps, thanks to funds sanctioned by Joachim Buxla, the RSP MP from Alipurduar.

The MP has sanctioned Rs 25 lakh from his local area development fund for the project.

In May, the government had provided electricity connection to the closed gardens only to run pump sets to collect drinking water. But soon a problem arose in paying the bills.

While the zilla parishad had said the operating management committee of the garden would pay the electricity bill, the committee passed the responsibility on the zilla parishad. Ultimately, no one paid the money and the power dues from Kalchini alone rose to Rs 2 lakh, prompting the power company to threaten to disconnect the line.

Worried workers had approached Buxla in December to arrange for pump sets that would be run by solar energy to draw water. The measure would also save them from paying the power bill, they had said.

Kalchini, closed since September 2005, has 2,003 workers. Chinchula is closed since November the same year and has 1,250 employees.

Buxla “recommended” the proposal to construct two overhead tanks with a capacity of 60,000 litres each in the two gardens to the district magistrate. On why Kalchini and Chinchula were selected, the MP said workers mostly from these two estates had requested him to solve their water problem. In 2007, the parliamentarian had sanctioned a similar project for the Bharnobari tea garden.

“Within days of my recommendation, the district magistrate sanctioned Rs 25 lakh for the project from the MP’s local area development fund. The pumps run by solar energy will draw water throughout the day,” Buxla said.

The work for the project will start this month and within 15 days the garden employees will start getting the water, Buxla said. “Pure drinking water is essential for everybody. It is not possible for the workers of the closed gardens to clear the electricity bill.”

The representatives of the agency, which will carry out the project, have surveyed the gardens, he said.

Aseswar Jha, a guard of the Kalchini garden, has expressed gratefulness to the MP. “We will benefit a lot once the project is completed,” he said.

Management Fled tea garden without notice

Work in Nimtijhora Tea Estate under Kalchini police station was suspended today after the management fled the garden without serving any notice.

The suspension of work follows last Monday’s incident in which garden manager T.L. Pandey was confined to his chamber for 17 hours for allegedly assaulting a pregnant worker. The workers had gone to him to complain that the amount of tealeaves being put against each of their names was wrong. Pandey had denied the allegation.

Before leaving the garden, Pandey wrote to all trade unions and the subdivisional officer of Alipurduar, P.D. Pradhan. “We will not return to the garden unless our security is assured and normality restored” the letter reads. Pradhan said a tripartite meeting will be held soon.

Prabhat Mukherjee, the general secretary of the National Union for Plantation Workers, said the main problem in the garden was the law and order.

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