Project to construct 3,690 houses for tea garden workers commences

Kolkata: When the BJP-led Centre is allegedly yet to fulfill their pre-poll assurances given to tea garden workers, the Mamata Banerjee government has initiated process to construct 3,690 pacca houses with a target of handing the same over to homeless workers under "Cha Sundari" scheme as early as possible.

"All steps are being taken to hand over the houses to the beneficiaries as early as possible. The survey is complete. The detailed project report for the same is also being passed and district magistrates of Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri held talks with all stakeholders. Necessary tasks are being carried out in full swing and all steps have been taken so that the houses can be handed over as early as possible," said minister of state of the state Housing department Chandrima Bhattacharya.

Following the direction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the houses are coming up following a unique design and plan apart from a few changes based on the dimension of the plot on which it is

being built.

"Each of the houses consist of two bed rooms, one kitchen, one common room and one toilet," said the state Labour minister Malay Ghatak adding that the state government has already sanctioned Rs 210 crore to build the houses each of which measures around 385 square feet. Each of the houses is coming up at a cost of Rs 5.90 lakh.

The houses will be built by the state government for all homeless tea garden workers under the Cha Sundari project and it has come up as a major decision of the Chief Minister that would benefit a large section of people in north Bengal as the project will be implemented for at least 370 tea gardens.

The state Housing department is the nodal agency to implement the project worth Rs 500 crore in cooperation with the state Labour and Land departments.

The Chief Minister had announced the project during her last visit to Siliguri to hold the administrative review meeting.

There are around 2.61 lakh tea garden workers in the state and the project has led to massive enthusiasm among them in north Bengal districts. While announcing the project, she had also attacked BJP for not fulfilling the pre-poll assurances given to tea garden workers.

The work was undertaken in war footing to initiate the construction of the houses as early as possible after identification of vested land on which the houses are coming up.

The houses for all homeless tea garden workers, of which a list has been prepared, will be completed in the next three years time.

In the first phase, 730 houses will be built at Mujnai Tea Garden, 376 in Dheklapara, 351 in Torsa, 1184 in Lankapara, 562 at Red Bank Tea Garden, 285 at Dharanipur and 206 at Manabri tea gardens.