Jalpaiguri tea garden workers receive 2nd housing installment

Jalpaiguri: The new year brought promising news for tea garden workers in Jalpaiguri district, as the district administration began disbursing the second installment of funds under the Cha Sundari Extension Project. A total of 5,998 workers who received land titles have now been granted the second installment of Rs 60,000 for house construction, matching the amount provided in the first installment.

In Jalpaiguri district, land titles were distributed to 8,378 tea garden workers across blocks including Mal, Mainaguri, Banarhat, Nagrakata, Jalpaiguri Sadar, Kranti, Rajganj and Meteli, excluding Dhupguri block. Of these, 7,925 workers received the first installment of Rs 60,000 each for house construction. However, before disbursing the second installment, a survey conducted among 6,435 beneficiaries revealed that only 5,998 workers met the criteria for receiving the next round of funding. The distribution rates for the second installment currently stand at 75.08 per cent overall, compared to a 99.20 per cent disbursement rate for the first installment. Block-specific figures show varying progress: Jalpaiguri at 71.41 per cent, Kranti at 67.55 per cent, Rajganj at 66.27 per cent and Meteli at 59.34 per cent.

District Magistrate Shama Parveen assured that efforts are underway to address pending cases. “The second installment of funds has been released for the construction of houses under the Cha Sundari Extension Project.

Blocks have been instructed to expedite payments to those who have not yet received their installment,” she said. The Cha Sundari Project, launched by the state government, initially aimed to provide housing for tea garden workers on designated land within the gardens. However, due to low occupancy in completed houses, the state introduced a revised extension project. Under this new scheme, workers who received land leases are granted two installments of Rs 60,000 each, amounting to Rs 1.2 lakh, to build houses.