A file picture of the closed Ramjhora Tea Estate, where Nalsa will hold a camp on May 19 and 20

Siliguri, May 15: The National Legal Aids Services Authority (Nalsa) today held its first public hearing for tea garden workers on the premises of the Matri Sangha Janakalyan Ashram here.

Of the nine submissions made on the first day, five were by residents of closed tea estates — four workers from Ramjhora and a retired assistant manager from Chinchula. The rest were by workers from open gardens like Raja, Kartika and Srinathpur. One submission was made by post.

The hearing was conducted by Sreerupa Mitra Choudhury, the national adviser to the Nalsa, in association with lawyer members from Siliguri.

“The management has not paid our provident fund, gratuity, wages, bonus, ration and insurance premium for years. Even my mother, who is a retired worker, does not get her pension. We want immediate steps to salvage our dues,” said Baburam Gossain, a worker from Ramjhora Tea Estate, which is closed since August 10, 2002.

Jayhind Gossain, who had come on behalf of his mother Budhni and Bablu Gossain, secretary of the Ramjhora panchayat and the son of Sitaram, a retired worker, were the others from the garden present at the hearing.

“My father retired many years back. But till date, we have not received any arrears or pension from the management,” Bablu said.

The first to make his submission, however, was Ghanashyam Rana, a retired assistant manager from the Chinchula tea estate.

“Rana was on leave when the garden closed down. When he returned, he found nobody to ask for his dues. Since then, he is pursuing his claims but has not been able to recover a single paisa till date,” said Sarmistha Sharma, a lawyer of Siliguri court, present at the hearing.

The workers from the open gardens complained of violation of appointment contracts and non-payment of retirement benefits.

“Once the number of recorded statements crosses 300, we can contemplate criminal proceedings on these issues,” said Sandip Nandi, another lawyer at the hearing.

Nandi said a similar hearing will be held at the Ashram on May 18, while a public hearing camp will be hosted on the premises of the Ramjhora tea estate on May 19 and 20.

Members of Birpara Welfare Organisation, an NGO working in the brew belt, today brought Michael Kujur, a Ramjhora worker, to the hospital opened by Nalsa at the Ashram.