Debpara Tea Garden shuts down

Jalpaiguri: The authorities of Debpara Tea Garden in Banarhat abruptly left the premises without notice, leaving 1100 tea workers unemployed. On Tuesday, as workers arrived for their shifts, they found the factory gate locked, and management staff was nowhere to be seen. The closure marks the second time Debpara Tea Garden has shut down.

Jalpaiguri Deputy Labour Commissioner Shubhagata Gupta stated: “We have not received any written information about this incident but we have received news from unconfirmed sources. If informed in writing, steps will be taken to solve the problem by meeting.”

The tea garden has been facing salary issues for several months, with workers claiming owed payments ranging from 5 to 7 fortnights. Additionally, garden staff and employees are owed eight months’ worth of salary. Workers also report receiving notices and facing termination if they fall sick and cannot attend work. This situation has led to a movement within the garden for several days. Mahesh Thapa, a tea worker, stated: “The demand for payment of dues has already been reported to the police station from blocking the road. Besides, several administrative officers were also approached. Meanwhile, many boys and girls of the garden have left due to difficulties in running their families owing to money arrears. This garden faced closure once in March 2023 and was reopened at the end of April after a lengthy meeting. Unfortunately, a similar incident has occurred again.”

According to garden workers, on Monday morning, workers demanded payment of their dues, and the authorities assured them that the money would be deposited in everyone’s account by Tuesday afternoon. However, the authorities left the garden at night.

Nakul Sonar, district president of Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU), said: “We have received the news of the closure of the garden. We will talk to the owner.”