Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union to embark on 11-day march on Feb 19

Alipurduar: On February 19, the Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU) is set to embark on a 200-kilometer march, advocating various demands from the Central government. Tea workers from 160 tea gardens in Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts will march from Sankosh Tea Garden in Alipurduar to Ellenbury Tea Garden in Jalpaiguri over an 11-day period, concluding on February 29.

The route map for the long march was crafted in the presence of Rajya Sabha MP and Trinamool Alipurduar district president, Prakash Chik Baraik, and top TCBSU leaders. The march will culminate in a mass rally of tea plantation workers at Banarhat, highlighting the state government’s development initiatives in each tea garden and addressing Central deprivation affecting tea garden workers.

Prakash Chik Baraik stated: “Currently, the pending Provident Fund (PF) amount for tea plantation workers in North Bengal is Rs 25 thousand crore, an intolerable situation. Immediate action is required from the Central government. Issues with the provident fund and challenges linking PF and Aadhaar remain unresolved.

The Central government was expected to allocate Rs 1 thousand crore to tea gardens, a commitment unmet. Non-cooperation from the tea board persists. If attention is not paid by the Central government, PF, and Aadhaar institutions after our movement, a more extensive protest will ensue.”

According to TCBSU, tea workers will seek shelter in specific tea gardens each night from February 19 to 29, resuming their walk the following day. Selected workers from TCBSU in Alipurduar district will march daily, joined by workers from different gardens, accompanied by a medical team. Birendra Bara Oraon, state president of TCBSU, emphasised: “The state government has initiated projects like ‘Cha Sundari,’ land lease, Rs 1 lakh 20 thousand house construction and free rations. Sixty-eight state government humanitarian projects, including water facilities, hospitals, crèches, and ambulances, are in place in tea gardens. Wages for tea plantation labourers have increased to Rs 250. Our question is, what has the Central government provided for the tea garden workers?”