30th September: the hills are in an uproar due to the non-payment of dues to the daily wage tea workers. The tea workers are currently facing a major crisis as their basic needs are crushed and turned a blind eye to. Tea owners and companies have turned a deaf ear to their requests as they have been disregarded in terms of their wages and bonuses. Every year, people from different strata of society have a good time enjoying respective festivals but poor workers working underpaid wages have always been ignored by the higher class of society. Despite Darjeeling tea being the world’s favorite and also generating a large amount of revenue the state has been failing and disregarding the poor workers who work heart and soul at the tea garden.
In regard to this, MP Raju Bista wrote a letter to the tea board asking them to take relevant actions against the Darjeeling Organic Tea Estates Private Limited (DOTEPL) which runs 10 tea gardens in Darjeeling hills, namely – Happy Valley, Ambootey, Monteviot, Magarjung, Moonda-Bansghari, Rongmook Ceder, Chungthung, Alubari, Rangeyroong, and Pandam Tea Estates, after the managers abandoned the gardens.
In response to the letter, the Tea Board has initiated action and asked the Labour Commissioner, Government of West Bengal to intervene in the matter and seek resolution at the earliest. MP Raju Bista is further pursuing the Tea Board to take action under Section 16 of the Tea Act of 1953 as well.
MP Raju Bista Press Release stated:
Yesterday, I had written to the Chairman, of the Tea Board of India asking for the tea board to take relevant actions against the Darjeeling Organic Tea Estates Private Limited (DOTEPL) which runs 10 tea gardens in Darjeeling hills, namely – Happy Valley, Ambootey, Monteviot, Magarjung, Moonda-Bansghari, Rongmook Cedar, Chungthung, Alubari, Rangeyroong, and Pandam Tea Estates after the managers abandoned the gardens.
The Tea Board has initiated action and asked the Labour Commissioner, Govt of West Bengal to intervene in the matter and seek resolution.
I am pursuing the matter with the tea board to take action under Section 16 of the Tea Act of 1953 as well.
