Kartik tea garden in Dooars closed after managment-workers dispute

Siliguri, Apr 18 (UNI) Kartik Tea Estate in Dooars in Jalpaiguri district closed down yesterday following disputs between the managment and workers over weekly payment, tea sources today said.

The closure is the second tea garden after Beach Tea Estate, also in Dooars, was declared closed by the managment for indefinite period recently following a managment-workers dispute.

The closure of Kartik tea garden rendered some 937 workers jobless, according to Dooars Cha Bagan Workers' Union secretary Kalko Chetri. He told UNI that the managment had stopped paying wages to the labourers for past three months.

District Labour Commissoner, Jalpaiguri, Suchibhushan Samaddar told UNI that he called a tripartite meeting on April 20 to sort out the disputes.

The managent put up a closure notice yesterday after its manager Bapan Bhawal was heckled by the workers for not paying salary and providing rations on due date.

UNI