The workers of the tea estate welcome the new owners in Alipurduar on Monday. Picture by Anirban Choudhury

Alipurduar, April 28: Workers of Bharnobari Tea Estate decorated the factory with flowers, played drums and danced to welcome the new owners of the garden, which reopened today after nearly two-and-a-half years.

The owners, on their part, declared that a packaging unit would be installed in the factory soon.

Bengal minister Manohar Tirkey, who took part in the celebrations that accompanied the reopening, hoped that Bharnobari would be a source of inspiration for other closed gardens in the Dooars. Currently, there are 12 of them.

Two of the financiers, Surojit Basu and Ashoke Chawla, along with Rama Ranjan, the mother-in-law of the third partner Kingshuk Sinha, reached the factory around 11am. Apart from Tirkey, a number of rural and trade union leaders were also present.

As the workers danced to the beat of the drums, Rama Ranjan and Basu’s aunt, Swapna Sinha, joined the celebrations. The new owners — as a goodwill gesture — invited 92-year-old Durga Munda, the oldest worker at Bharnobari, to cut the red ribbon, marking the reopening of the garden. Rama draped a khada (a piece of white cloth) around Munda and also gave him Rs 2,000 and clothes. Along with Chawla, she touched his feet and sought his blessings for the successful running of the estate, while other labourers clapped and cheered.

Overwhelmed by the occasion, Munda was seen wiping tears off his eyes.

Later, Basu took Munda inside the factory where the workers washed the owners’ hands with water as a sign of respect. The family priest of the Basus performed a puja inside the factory and sweets were distributed among the workers. The ceremony was attended by managers from a few nearby gardens as well.

Besides the packaging unit, Chawla also announced that tea saplings would be planted in the vacant parts of the estate. He also said the packaged tea would be sold in Gujarat, Maharashtra and other states in western India.

Tirkey, who is also the general secretary of the Dooars Cha Bagan Workers’ Union, asked the labourers to perform their duties properly.