Mamata seeks permanent solution for problems in tea gardens

Jalpaiguri (WB): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today stressed on a permanent solution for the problems plaguing the tea gardens in north Bengal and formed an expert committee to find out a solution.

She said that the committee, under Chief Secretary Malay De, would submit its report after going through the problems at the tea gardens, thus help in finding out a solution.

"I want a permanent solution for the tea gardens. Nobody has ever thought of any permanent solution regarding the problems, raging at the tea gardens, for ages. Even the Centre has failed to keep up to its promise, made prior to the last Assembly elections, about opening the closed tea gardens," Banerjee told reporters here at the Uttarkanya.

Today, she held a meeting with representatives of the tea gardens.

She also held a meeting senior ministers such as state Labour Minister Moloy Ghatak, Arup Biswas and senior officials of her government.

The state government also proposed a daily wage of Rs 176 for the tea garden workers pending finalisation of the minimum wages.

This year the state government had announced two interim hikes of Rs 17.50 and of Rs nine, taking the daily wage to Rs 159.

Meanwhile, the largest tea producing state of Assam, last week, had announced issuing a possible notification on an interim hike of Rs 30, with retrospective effect from March 1 this year, which would take the current daily wage of tea garden workers from Rs 137 to Rs 167.

Banerjee also lambasted the culture of strike at the tea gardens and said it finished the work culture there.