Goyel at the garden. Picture by Anirban Choudhury

Chinchula Tea Estate (Alipurduar), Feb. 14: Nearly 500 labourers, working in the Chinchula out-division, are living in better conditions than their colleagues in the garden’s main division.

The credit, however, does not go to the garden management or to the local government agencies. It goes to Gopal Goyel, who has been buying green leaves from here for the last one year.

The management abandoned the estate in October 2005 and Goyel took over from April the next year. He paid the workers Rs 51 per day and bought leaves that he sold to factories in the Patkapara, Madhu and Dalsingpara tea estates. By November 18, Goyel engaged the workforce in the maintenance of the garden’s out-division, this time at Rs 50 per day. The area gets water three times a day from pumps that are fuelled by Goyel. Ration is provided at government rates and the dispensary there has sufficient medicine. The growth of bushes is protected through the use pesticides and on the whole workers claim the garden is better off than when it was open.

“If the bushes are not maintained during the lean season, the quality of leaves deteriorates in the following flush. This is what prompted me to engage the labourers in this job. In this way the workers are happy and the garden will be in good condition,” Goyel told The Telegraph. “I live in a tea garden and feel for the workers. I will adjust this wage during when I purchase leaves during the peak season. The government has decided to pay for 14 days of maintenance work. I will put aside the wages for these days and pay it as bonus during the Pujas next year.”

Incidentally, Goyel is making enough money from the venture to sustain his expenditure during the lean season.

“I have applied for a electricity connection to facilitate irrigation in the garden. Last year, I bought 1.5 lakh kg of green leaves from Chinchula out-division and this year I hope it will cross the 2-lakh mark,” says the pragmatic man of business.

In fact, Goyel sees enough potential in the venture to engage 1,258 workers of Raimatang Tea Estate in maintenance work since yesterday. Here the workers will get Rs 40 per day.