West Bengal workers demand opening of tea garden shut for over a year

Hundreds of workers of a tea estate near the Indo-Bhutan border in West Bengal have demanded immediate reopening of their company that has been closed for a year now.

Old Hasimara (West Bengal), Sept 15 : Hundreds of workers of a tea estate near the Indo-Bhutan border in West Bengal have demanded immediate reopening of their company that has been closed for a year now.

The Varnabari Tea Estate was shut last year, citing low profits, after which, close to 2000 workers, mostly tea pluckers, lost their jobs.

Staging a sit-in on the National Highway-31 on Friday, the workers accused their employers of holding back their provident fund and other dues.

"Time has come to open our shut mouths. Apart from that, the plantation owners should be arrested, they have misappropriated money meant for our provident funds and gratuity," claimed Amil Kugur.

Workers claim that over 100 workers have died of malnutrition-related ailments over the past year.

"With the tea gardens closed for such a long time now, we are dying of hunger. We fail to understand why the estates are still shut...," said Meena Orowa, a labour leader.

Some of the finest 'Darjeeling Tea' is grown in tea estates across West Bengal.

The state has 183 established tea gardens belonging to British era, besides over 500 tea gardens planted in recent years. The tea industry in West Bengal forms the backbone of the state's economy.

India is the largest exporter and consumer of tea in the world.

ANI