Siliguri, April 2: Small growers have proposed restriction on free movement of tealeaves to stop the theft from gardens.

A section of pluckers in cahoots with local goons have been stealing leaves from the small plantations at night from the time the price of tea reached Rs 9 per kg from Rs 5. Thefts were reported almost everyday in the past fortnight from 100-150 plantations. With losses averaging about Rs 15,000 a month, small growers in Jalpaiguri have come forward with a number of suggestions, police intervention being another.

“Free movement and sale of tealeaves in the small sector are encouraging the thieves,” said Bijoygopal Chakraborty, the joint secretary of the Jalpaiguri Zilla Kshudra Cha Chashi Samiti. “Leaves carried individually or in vehicles are not accompanied by any authentic document and so it is difficult to identify stolen leaves,” he said.

The growers have proposed that any tealeaf transported to a broker or a bought-leaf factory (BLF) from the plantation should go together with a challan or a document with details like the name of the plantation and the quantity.

“The police will have to set up some pickets on the usual routes and BLFs and brokers would have to agree not to buy tea without a challan. If this is followed, those stealing tealeaves could be easily tracked down,” a grower said.

The growers have decided to approach the district administration for help. “We will write to the district superintendent of police, seeking his intervention,” Chakraborty said.

While Citu, the CPM controlled trade union, is banking on sensitisation rather than on police complaints, the Intuc believes that more guards should be deployed in the plantations.

“Meetings have been held. The workers have been asked to act as volunteers and patrol the plantations,” said Prithwish Debnath, a leader of the Citu-affiliated Cha Bagan Mazdoor Union.

Aloke Chakraborty, the general secretary of NUPW, an Intuc affiliate, said guards should be equipped with mobile phones and torch. “Their numbers should be increased. But if any worker is involved in the theft, our union will not stand by him,” he added.