The gates of Dheklapara, a tea state located in Alipurduar district, reopened after a gap of 23 years.

Located in the Birpara-Madarihat block of the district, around 67km from here, the garden had closed down in 2002.

“A tripartite meeting was held on Tuesday in the presence of the representatives of a new company and the tea trade unions. According to the decision, the garden reopened today (Thursday),” said Amit Das, the assistant labour commissioner of Birpara.

“We will monitor activities at the garden for one year, and then a review meeting will be held to check out the progress during this period,” Das added.

Sources said Sanjyukta Vanijya Private Limited, a Calcutta-based company, would run the garden.

In 2002, when Dheklapara had closed down, there were around 600 workers. However, in due course, a considerable section of workers and their families left the garden in search of newer livelihoods.

As of now, there are 288 workers in the garden, said a source.

A senior trade union leader said that as the garden remained closed for years, the factory and the plantations were in a dilapidated condition.

“The plantation needs thorough rejuvenation. Important machinery is missing from the factory. It will take time to start production to full capacity. Even then, we want the garden to run as the workers and their families have borne the brunt of the shutdown for over two decades,” he said.

Sources said that initially workers would work for 20 days a month and eight hours a day. The new company will focus on the rejuvenation of the plantations for now.

On Thursday, a puja was organised at the garden’s temple, and some saplings were planted to mark the reopening. The workers also reached the plantations for spraying and allied works.

A source in the state labour department said under the agreement, the new company would not provide any housing to workers and most of them had received houses under the state’s Cha Sundari scheme. “Also, it will not take up any old liabilities of gratuity and provident fund,” said the source.

Dheklapara is the company’s second tea estate in Alipurduar. Earlier, it had taken over Makrapara, another tea estate in the same block.

“We wanted the tea estate to reopen at any cost. That is why we accepted certain conditions of the new owner,” said Uttam Saha, a vice-president of the Trinamool Cha Bagan Shramik Union.

Stakeholders of the north Bengal tea industry have also welcomed the move.

“It is an important day for the tea industry as the Dheklapara tea estate has finally reopened and work has commenced in the garden. Workers are happy,” said Ram Avtar Sharma, the secretary of the Dooars branch of the Indian Tea Planters’ Association.