Tea estate shut down in Chopra leaves 800 jobless

Raiganj: Chandan Tea Estate in Chopra, North Dinajpur is closed for the past one month rendering 800 workers jobless. The management reportedly stopped production without giving any valid reason. The officials of the state labour department convened two meetings on the issue but the management failed to turn up. The Labour Department is all set to officially declare the garden as “abandoned by the management,” resulting in the workers being brought under the state government financial assistance scheme.

The members of North Dinajpur unit of Trinamul Cha Bagan Sramik Union demanded that the state labour officials hold talks with the management else they have threatened an agitation.

Tinu Hansda, a worker of Chandan Tea Estate said,’ Around one and half months ago the management closed the tea garden without any notice. Now we are not getting anything from the tea estate. We have no alternative livelihood. We cannot sustain our families. We appeal to the state government for help.”

Kalu Singh, the Secretary of North Dinajpur unit of Trinamul Cha Bagan Sramik Union said: “In Chopra and Islampur there are 30 tea gardens with factories; 170 medium tea gardens and more than 10,000 small tea gardens where more than 50,000 (fifty thousand) labourers work. In the union budget no fund was allotted for the assistance of jobless tea garden workers. If the management of the Tea Industry fails to reopen the garden within a fortnight, we will launch an agitation.”

Deep Narayan Bhandary, Assistant Labour Commissioner of Islampur said: “We had previously convened meetings twice to resolve this issue. The management did not turn up. If they do not meet us in a short period, we will be declared abandoned. Later the jobless workers will get Rs 1500 every month under the Financial Assistance for the Workers in Locked Out Industrial Units in lockout gardens.”