Beach Tea Estate to be shut down soon

Siliguri, Apr 15: Beach Tea Estate under Kalchini Block of Jalpaiguri district was yet another tea garden to be closed due to convulsions between the garden authority and workers.

The authority eschewed the garden on April 13 without prior notification.

Garden workers agitated before Beach Tea Estate Manager Samser Sing Reddu, demanding the renovation of the worker's huts and jobs for 26 youths here.

Initially the manager agreed to give jobs, but did not agree to renovate the huts. However, he promised to grant help to rebuilt them.

After the garden manager promised to help them in this regard last night, the workers finally left for their homes.

However, yesterday morning, they found the factory closed.

Beach Tea Estate of Duars is having 2,170 workers in both status - permanent and casual. These people are now unemployed.

MLA of Alipurduar Mr Xoakim Baxla reached the spot to get the real picture.

He said that the tea industry in the state is reeling under a crisis. However, he said that he had met Union State Commerce Minister Jayram Ramesh about the problem, but with no response. He will have to meet the minister again, Mr Baxla added.

UNI