Are We Drinking Sips of Misery? Darjeeling’s Tea
Many have said, wrote, screamt their lungs out, then disappeared into thin air.
Tea Garden Workers
Tea Garden Bonus – Some Thoughts
I sometimes wonder what feeling would Narayan Gopal be having when he sang – “Aljhecha Kya re Pachyawri timro chiya ko botaima.” Was “chiya ko bot” a resemblance of wealth? Was “chiyabari” a happy and prosperous place? While the former may still be true, the latter is most certainly not – and that has today become a concern for every citizen in the Hills – be it the residents or the non-residents of the tea gardens.
Darjeeling Hills Tea Garden Workers
I was going through these two receipts from Reliance Smart and could not stop thinking and writing about the plight of our Darjeeling’s tea garden workers and their ongoing demand for 20% Puja bonus.
Parliamentary Standing Committee Scathing Findings on Darjeeling and Dooars Tea Industry – Recommends Legislative Action for Ensuring Parja Patta Rights and Other Reforms
The report takes note that “the tea garden workers in Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars do not have land or ‘Parja-Patta’ (land rights) on their ancestral tea growing lands. To dwell on their ancestral homes, they must send at least one family members to work for the tea company. On failure to send a family member for work, they lose their rights to live on their ancestral lands. Since the land rights are vested with tea company, there have been instances when the aged workers having no children were denied the right to even repair their houses on their ancestral lands.”
DARJEELING TEA INDUSTRY: Prayers, Petitions and Pathological Indifference
Tea workers of the region are working below minimum wage, and over the years systematically all of their facilities have been stripped off. In order to support and sustain their family, they are forced to do small scale animal husbandry and horticulture. This is in addition to 12-14 hours of back-breaking labour every day.
Cinchona and Tea Garden Workers Facing Grave Problems Due to Mismatch in Aadhar, EPF, and UAN Numbers
सिन्कोना(Cinchona) अनि चिया बगान श्रमिकहरुको (E.P.F) भविष्य निधि कोषको आफ्नु(U.A.N) Universal Account Number संग आफ्नु आधार कार्ड संख्य Link नभएमा उक्त, श्रमिकहरुको मासिक कटौती ई,पी,एफ धनराशी 01 जुन 2021 देखि आफ्नु कोषमा जम्मा नहुने सरकार द्घारा अधिकारीक आदेश आए वापत सिन्कोना अनि चियाबारीको हजारौं श्रमिकहरु मार्कमा परेको छन् !
Tea Tourism – Another form of exploitation
We welcome tea tourism policy whole heartily with the adequate enforcement of standard protocols and norms on the allocable vacant land without zero compromise in the plantation area. As specified, the prime objective of the policy is “to enhance investment for generating employment opportunities for the local community for their inclusive sustainable economic development and prosperity without any hindrance to the social-fabric and ecology.” We wish our region to flourish into prosperity however development at the verge of risks of lives, loss of property and damage to environment will not tolerated be at all.
COVID 19 and Livelihood Crisis among the tribal households in Duars
COVID-19 has had different impact among different groups of population, and among them the hardest hit are the tribal households of tea gardens who have very limited access to resources and low level of financial securities.
Cup of Tea
When I wake up this morning, the thirst for drinking cuppa made me look at my kitchen-shelf and found out that my tea container was nearly empty. I thought, will ask some tea leaves from my neighbour then it occurred on my mind that they have been on home quarantine for almost a week. Since we are tackling this apocalyptic situation venturing outside just for one particular supply deemed not as essential. So reckoning, what will be of my next tea time, I prepared for now with some left-over tea leaves which I enjoyed immensely as it was my last deoch an doris.
अलिपुरद्वार भाजपा सांसद जोन बारला – Inspirational
BJP Member of Parliament from Alipurduars, Shri John Barla started as a worker in a tea garden and still strongly connected to his roots.