The Darjeeling Dooars Chia Shramik Suraksha Samiti, a social organisation working for the tea workers of north Bengal, on Saturday staged a daylong sit-in demonstration at Chowrasta in the heart of Darjeeling against the state’s recent decision to allow alternative use of vacant land in tea estates up to 30 per cent.

Bandana Rai, the president of the organisation, said they launched the protest, demanding that the state revoke the decision as they felt it could affect the future of the tea industry, its workers andtheir families.

“We want the state government to withdraw the decision and issue a fresh notification in the interest of tea workers. We have launched our protests in Darjeeling. If required, we will hold marches to Uttarkanya (the state’s branch secretariat located in southern Siliguri) and even Nabanna,” Rai told newspersons duringthe agitation.

Last month, chief minister Mamata Banerjee during the Bengal Global Business Summit, announced that her government had decided to allow tea companies to use 30 per cent of the vacant land in their tea gardens for tea tourism and certain other alternative purposes. This would generate revenue as well as create employment for local residents, she had said.

After her announcement, the state land and land reforms department came up with a notification on February 7 on the issue.

The announcement and the notification triggered massive protests across the hills, with many claiming it could hurt tea workers’ jobs and even cause their displacement. Even Anit Thapa, who heads the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha, Trinamool’s hill ally, expressed concern over the decision.

The situation reached such an extent that Mamata had to address the issue and ensure that the interests of the workers would not be affected. The state’s policy will also not hamper tea production and create local employment, she had said.

Despite her clarifications, the protests seem to be far from ending.

“Our demand is simple. The government should withdraw the decision to hand over the tea garden land to businessmen for different purposes other than tea plantations. Tea workers across north Bengal are against the decision and unless the state makes the necessary move (to revoke the notification), our protests will continue,” said a representative of tea workers who had joined the protests fromthe Dooars.