Mamata Govt reopens 2 tea estates, restores jobs for 3,200 workers in North Bengal

The West Bengal government has finalized plans to reopen two tea estates in Kalchini block, Alipurduar district, which were shut down in October 2023 due to labor unrest over unpaid Durga Puja bonuses. The Raimatang tea estate will reopen on December 12, followed by the Kalchini tea estate on December 19. The closure of these estates had affected 3,281 workers—2,023 at Kalchini and 1,258 at Raimatang.

The decision to reopen the estates was reached during a bipartite meeting held by the state labor department in Siliguri. During the meeting, Ritwik Bhattacharya, the owner of the Samsi and Bamandanga tea estates, agreed to take responsibility for managing the two closed estates. The labor department confirmed that both estates would resume operations according to the announced schedule.

These two tea estates are significant employers in the region. The closure of Raimatang and Kalchini had caused a severe financial strain on the workers, who had been without income since the estates shut down. The government’s intervention aims to restore employment for over 3,000 workers and bring production back online.

The West Bengal government had previously set up a ministerial group tasked with resolving issues related to closed tea estates in the state. This group has been actively involved in negotiations between tea estate owners and workers to address issues of wages, bonuses, and other labor-related concerns. Several other tea estates in North Bengal have reopened over the past year under similar initiatives.

The labor department, along with stakeholders, has taken steps to ensure that the reopening process proceeds smoothly. Assistant Labor Commissioner Amit Das confirmed that both Raimatang and Kalchini tea estates are scheduled to reopen on December 12 and 19, respectively, and that the process of restoring operations is already underway.