Workers of two tea estates in the Dooars resorted to protests in different locations on separate issues on Monday.
In Alipurduar district, a section of the closed Dalsinghpara tea estate staged a road blockade over the demand for monthly assistance from the state government. A group of women workers of the Bagrakot tea estate, which is in the Malbazar subdivision of Jalpaiguri district, launched a hunger strike, demanding immediate payment of their
due wages.
Around 10.40 am, almost 300 workers of Dalsinghpara, which is in the Kalchini block of Alipurduar district, walked up to the Asian Highway 48 and raised a blockade, demanding payment of assistance under the FAWLOI (Financial Assistance to Workers of Locked Out Industries) and also reopening of the garden.
Under the scheme, the state government pays a monthly assistance of ₹1,500 to each permanent worker of a closed garden.
Local leaders of the BJP and Trinamool-backed trade unions were at the blockade, along with their supporters.
“The garden has been closed since October 2023, and we were getting assistance. But since February this year, the assistance has not been disbursed,” said Narina Gurung, a woman worker who joined the protest. Altogether, around 960 workers are employed in the garden.
“The state should resume the payment and expedite the process to reopen the garden,” she added.
Because of the blockade, traffic came to a halt along the highway. Soon, a team from the Jaigaon police station reached the spot. Police officers spoke with the agitating workers and persuaded them to withdraw the blockade at around 11.30 am.
In Bagrakot, the workers alleged that they had not received wages in the past three months. A few days ago, they had staged a protest inside the garden and had even confined the manager, demanding their overdue payments.
“Even then, the payment was not done. That is why 20 women workers have launched a relay hunger strike from this morning. It will continue till next Sunday or until the wages are paid,” said Purnima Chhetri, a woman worker.
She said that during the past few days, they had also approached the subdivisional administration of Malbazar. “But nothing had changed, and we were forced to take this step,” the worker added.
The garden has around 1,800 workers.