Panighatta Tea Estate to reopen Friday after a decade

PRASHANT ACHARYA

SILIGURI, : The closed Panighatta Tea Estate under Mirik block of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration is all set to reopen after a decade.The decision was taken on Tuesday evening in a tripartite meeting after the instruction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The garden was shut down on October 10, 2015 after owner Shankar Sharaf left the garden leaving behind a notice of suspension of work for alleged non-cooperation from the workers and staff to run the garden smoothly.

TheChief Minister instructed S.S.Bagaria, the owner of Ghayabari Tea Estate in Mirik, to run the garden following which a tripartite meeting between trade union leaders, Bagaraia, his associates and joint labour commissioner held at Siliguri Shramik Bhawan. The meeting lasted around three hours.

Harihar Acharya, vice president of Hill Terai Dooars Plantation Workers Union, backed by Anit Thapa led Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), informed that the meeting concluded at around 10 pm on Wednesday where the new owner agreed to open the garden from May 2.

He said that Bagaria also agreed to pay the pending dues of 11 days’ wages for workers and one month salary to the staff and sub-staff on the opening week of the garden. But Bagaria refused to pay older dues including Provident Fund, gratuity other benefits of the workers and also declined to pay previous bank loans.

Also, the workers and staff who have crossed the age of 60 years will not be allowed to work in the garden.

Meanwhile, a section of workers who are on relay hunger strike since last 158 days, welcomed the reopening of the garden but maintained that they will withdraw strike alone after the functioning of the garden as before.

Kishore Pradhan, who is leading the strike, said, “We still do not want to take any risk, let the garden reopen as before we will withdraw a day after the garden reopens.”