Abhishek pledges a hike in tea garden workers’ daily wages to Rs 300; meets labourers from 61 tea gardens

ALIPURDUAR: Ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee made a significant electoral pitch in North Bengal’s tea belt by promising an increase in the daily wages of tea garden workers from Rs 250 to Rs 300. Addressing a large gathering under the party’s “Abar Jitbe Bangla” programme at the Majherdabri Tea Garden division football ground in Alipurduar on Saturday, Banerjee met workers from 61 tea gardens, addressing their grievances and promising improvements in wages, healthcare, housing, and education. One worker, Rajesh Oraon from Rahimabad Tea Garden of Kumargram, was invited onto the stage to voice his concerns. Highlighting the hardships faced by tea garden labourers, Oraon said the current daily wage of Rs 250 was insufficient for survival and also drew attention to poor housing conditions, lack of medical facilities, absence of school transport, and difficulties in accessing fuel. Responding to the grievances, Banerjee acknowledged the inadequacy of the current wage structure and said that if the TMC returns to power, a tripartite meeting would be convened within a month to ensure an increase in daily wages to at least Rs 300. He also promised to make all 54 primary health centres in the region operational within two years and announced the introduction of five new buses for tea garden students after schools reopen.

Welcoming the assurance, Oraon said the promised wage hike itself was a major relief and expressed confidence in bringing the TMC back to power. A question-and-answer session lasting nearly 40 minutes followed Banerjee’s speech. During the interaction, he also addressed concerns related to voter list revisions, land pattas, and migrant workers. Responding to a complaint from Kalchini worker Rita Teria regarding an SIR notice served to her husband working abroad, Banerjee clarified that names could not be arbitrarily deleted from the voter list and explained the procedure for submitting Election Commission Form 6 from overseas. In another instance, Suresh Turi of Madhu Tea Garden raised the issue of pending land titles. Banerjee assured that the government was working towards issuing pattas and asked labour union leaders to coordinate with garden owners to secure the required no-objection certificates.