Closed Riabari Tea Garden likely to reopen on Wed

Jalpaiguri: The Riabari Tea Garden, which closed on December 1 without notice, could reopen on Wednesday. A tripartite meeting at the Jalpaiguri district administration office on Monday paved the way for this.

The meeting, attended by leaders from all the Tea Garden Workers Union, garden owner representatives and officials of the district administration, discussed the reopening. However, tea garden owners’ associations DBITA and TAI refrained from commenting on the meeting and the garden’s status.

The abrupt closure had left approximately 1500 tea workers, including 500 permanent workers in the dark about the reasons behind the decision.

Undeterred, the workers decided to manage the garden independently even after its closure. Subsequently, a meeting involving owners and labour organisations was arranged through the district administration.

Nakul Sonar, Chairman of the Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union, explained: “There was a dispute with the owners regarding the working hours. Everything has been discussed in the meeting. We will visit the garden on Tuesday and talk to the workers. The garden will likely reopen

from Wednesday.”

Representatives from Trinamool, Congress, and Left worker organisations, along with the Deputy Labour Commissioner and DBITA and TAI (plantation owners’ organisations) attended the meeting. Priyadarshini Bhattacharya, Additional District Magistrate, stated: “A resolution has been passed. Labour unions have also stepped in to address the issue. The garden management has been urged to cooperate, and efforts are underway to reopen the garden. Hopefully, results will be available in a day or two.”