Tea workers block road

More than 500 workers of Bharnobari Tea Estate blocked the Hasimara-Bhutan road for nearly six hours today to demand the reopening of the garden.

Later, they lodged an FIR against the owner, Arvind Poddar, for his failure to deposit the employer’s share of provident fund (Rs 2.10 crore) and pay gratuity (Rs 55 lakh) to the workers.

The estate, with more than 2,000 workers, has been closed since December 2005. Union minister of state for commerce and industry Jairam Ramesh recently hinted that a new owner wanted to take over Bharnobari, but nothing came of it.

Today, around 200 vehicles travelling to and from Bhutan got stranded on the road because of the blockade. Bharnobari Tea Estate is located beside the road.

The agitation was supposed to run for 12 hours, but was called off midway after Jaigaon police intervened.

“We have started a case against Poddar under Sections 406 and 409 of the IPC (criminal breach of trust),” said Achinto Gupto, the officer-in-charge of the Jaigaon police station.

“If Poddar is not arrested and our garden is not opened within a week, we will call a 72-hour strike,” said Citu leader Madan Sarki.

On September 3, three directors of the company that owns Kohinoor Tea Garden in Samuktala surrendered in court after they were accused of defaulting on provident fund dues.

Source: The Telegraph

MP voiced tea garden workers' problems in Parliament

Kalimpong: The Congress MP from Darjeeling, Dawa Narbula, has raised the problems faced by workers in tea gardens and cinchona plantations in the Parliament.

Narbula has demanded stringent measures against managements found violating the Plantation Labour Act, Factories Act, Payment of Bonus Act, Industrial Disputes Act, Gratuity Act and Employees’ Provident Fund Act.

A recent workshop on exploring alternatives in closed and abandoned tea gardens held in Siliguri also suggested changes in the legal and institutional instruments governing the brew industry.

Narbula had blamed the Bengal government for the plight of the workers at the cinchona plantations in the Darjeeling hills.

“There is a huge demand for cinchona and other medicinal plants, but the government is doing nothing to tap the market,” The Congress MP told The Telegraph over phone from New Delhi.