Jalpaiguri, April 24: Jogesh Chandra tea estate of Malbazar, which was locked out two years ago, will restart operations on May 3.

The decision was taken at the bipartite meeting held at the Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association (DBITA) office yesterday.

Mani Kumar Darnal, the general secretary of the Intuc-affiliated National Union of Plantation Workers? here, said the management has also agreed to pay a sum in advance to the labourers, sub-staff and staff (Rs 400, Rs 500 and Rs 800 respectively) along with a fortnight?s ration.

?We appreciate the management?s initiative for coming up with the positive decision to reopen the garden, lying closed for the past two years. Yesterday?s mutual discussion turned out to be fruitful with representatives of the management confirming that they will reopen the garden and initiate necessary activities from May 3,? said Darnal, who is also one of the signatories to the agreement drafted after yesterday?s meeting.

?The management will also give the labourers the ration due to them for the past couple of years,? he added.

With the tea industry going through difficult times during the 2002-03 period, the management of Jogesh Chandra tea estate, along with many other estates of the Dooars belt, could not tide over the financial crunch and the poor condition of the tea market.

This resulted in a sudden declaration of lockout of the estate on April 22, 2003, with 950 permanent labourers and an equal number of temporary workers being rendered jobless overnight.

The labourers, who found it hard to sustain themselves after the lockout, had to depend on the sale of tealeaf through an Operating Management Committee (OMC) formed by the administration.

?The workers had a tough time for the past two years. It is good that the management finally turned up at the meeting, followed by a desired decision,? said Samir Roy, the convener of Defence Committee of Plantation Workers? Rights.