2.5 lakh tea workers are yet to get the new revised scale

Siliguri, Oct. 5: Trade unions fear that if tea wages for Dooars workers are not revised before Diwali, planters may delay the negotiation and extend it to next year citing the three-month lean season starting from November.

Around 2.5 lakh tea workers are yet to get the new scale to be revised from the existing Rs 67 per day.

The trade unions had been insisting on Rs 90 a day like the hill workers, a proposal that has been shot down by planters who have argued that Darjeeling Tea is sold at a much higher price than CTC, which is grown in the Dooars. So, the salary of hill workers could not be compared with those in the plains.

“We had been waiting eagerly for Durga Puja to end and want the wages to be finalized at the earliest. It would be best if it is settled before Diwali, which is around 20 days away,” said Aloke Chakraborty, the Darjeeling district president of Intuc, the trade union of the Congress.

“If no decision is reached till Diwali and the current month ends, it will be difficult for us to negotiate as the lean season will commence from November. Planters, who will not earn during these months because of halt in production, may delay the negotiation till the next season starting in March 2012,” said Chakraborty.

The current wages are paid on the basis of a three-year tripartite agreement signed in 2008.

It expired on March 31 this year and since then there had been seven rounds of unsuccessful tripartite talks. The last was held on the first week of September.

“During the course of the negotiation, we brought down our demands considerably but the planters have refused to relent even then,” said Sukra Munda, the chairperson of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad-  backed Progressive Tea Workers’ Union

“Given the trend of talks, we doubt whether any agreement will be signed at all in the coming lean season. It is best to bargain and convince planters in the next 15-20 days to agree to a revised scale, that is, before Diwali and immediately after Puja.”

The state labor department has called another round of tripartite talks on October 13.

“We are now hoping that the talks succeed as already six months of the current fiscal has passed. Workers want an early solution, as they are aware that their counterparts in the Darjeeling hills are earning Rs 90 a day. They will surely get arrears as the new agreement will be effective from April 1, 2011 but it is a test of patience,” said Samir Roy, convener of the Defense Committee for Plantation Workers Rights, an apex body of tea trade unions.

Planters, however, said the gardens had suffered considerably in the September 18 earthquake.

“Most of the gardens in the Terai and the Dooars have suffered damage and some have incurred losses worth crores,” said Prabir Bhattacharjee, the secretary of the Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association. “Regarding settlement of wages, we were never reluctant to negotiate. We had already submitted detailed information to the state government about the expenses incurred to run a tea estate.”

“It is not the question of lean season but the affordability of the tea companies that has to be kept in mind. The trade unions should rationalize their demands. We too had proposed a revised wage and do not want to drag on the issue. We are hopeful of a positive outcome at the meeting called by the state labor department next week,” he added.

Tea zone damage account to Rs. 6 crore after Sikkim-Darjeeling Earthquake

Siliguri, Sept. 27: The tea sector in the Dooars and the Terai has suffered a loss of Rs 6 crore after the September 18 quake hit its infrastructure which ranged from staff accommodation to factory buildings.

The highest individual loss of nearly Rs 2 crore was suffered by a garden owned by Goodricke in the Dooars.

Tea planters, who are yet to pay the revised salary to workers, are now grappling with the expense needed to repair the damaged infrastructure, which also includes brew manufacturing factories whose boundary walls have given away. Most garden managements fear that the security of the factories with their expensive machines were at stake.

“It is indeed a new challenge for us because in the Dooars alone, at least 30-35 gardens, who are our members, have suffered damage during the earthquake. A rough estimate indicates that the loss is around Rs 5.50 crore which in all probability, is going to climb as the assessment of many gardens are yet to be finished. The highest loss borne by an individual garden is Denguajhar owned by Goodricke. It has suffered a loss of around Rs 2 crore,” said Prabir Bhattacharjee, the secretary of the Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association.

Denguajhar is located outside Jalpaiguri town. Goodricke owns 12 gardens in the Dooars.

Describing the condition of Denguajhar, a DBITA source said: “In the earthquake, 632 workers’ quarters were damaged. Five bungalows, 19 staff quarters and a crèche have suffered damage. Boundary walls of the warehouse, factory and hospital have collapsed and so have eight culverts, built over rivulets criss-crossing the garden.”

The other gardens which have suffered major losses include Dalsinghpara (Rs 40 lakh), Central Dooars (Rs 35 lakh), Gandrapara (Rs 30 lakh), Washabari (Rs 25 lakh), Jiti (Rs 20 lakh) and Sankosh, Saylee, Barodighi, Beech, Banarhat and Leesh River — each Rs 10 lakh and above.

Trade union leaders said the damage indicated the plight of the workers. “Over the past few years, we had been insisting that the dwelling units of workers, most of which are in pitiable condition, be repaired,” said Samir Roy, the convener of the Defence Committee for Plantation Workers’ Rights, an apex body of tea trade unions. “The planters, however, did not heed our pleas and now, after the earthquake, it is evident that our apprehensions were correct: the workers were living in unsafe quarters.”

Ranjit Datta, the north Bengal branch secretary of the Tea Association of India with its 35 member gardens, said 15 estates of the Terai have suffered damage of nearly Rs 35 lakh.

“We are fortunate that there had been no major casualty during the quake. However, the losses suffered by the gardens have to be borne by the managements concerned,” he said.

Source: The Telegraph

Darjeeling: A Paradise Found

G Brindha visits Darjeeling to travel on a toy train, savour a cuppa and soak in the splendour of the lofty Kanchenjunga peak.

My sire used to say, “The British have left their legacy not only in their edifices but also in the names of towns and streets.”  Perhaps their anglicised tongues could not pronounce the Indian names. But, this twist made them more stylish and aroused some curiosity. Thiruvananthapuram became Trivandrum, Kanyakumari — Cape Camorin, Shaml — Shimla and Udhagamandalam became Ooty. To add to it, Darjeeling was called Dorjeling.
I have three reasons to visit this place. Firstly, because it’s a hill station and is home to a toy train, which was immortalised in the 1970s blockbuster film (I call it a love poem) ‘Aradhana’, in the song ‘mere sapnon ki rani kab aayegi tu’. I watched it my school days and ever since it has been my cherished dream to tour this place. Secondly, the mountains in Darjeeling and lastly, Darjeeling tea (although I am not a habitual tea drinker).

The train journey from Chennai to NJP (nearest railway station) is arduous. Hence I skip it and decide to fly. From the Bagdogra airport, I proceed by road. After three hours, I reach my destination. The first thing, which strikes me is its alien environment. The contemporary culture and the Mongoloid faces makes me wonder whether it is part of West Bengal. Everywhere I find slogans of Gorkhaland and signboards of Gorka Hill Council.

The architecture of the entire region gives credence to this thought. Our hotel, is a century old beauty, categorised as one of the oldest and finest. It is also one of the several colonial remains turned into a hotel.  The resort is very close to the ‘chowrasta’ — the town square. It has a manicured garden, which offers great views. Owing to its proximity, we limber up to ‘chowrasta’ on the first day itself. It is lined up with shops, restaurants, curio shops and hawkers. Ponywallahs wait for us. In Darjeeling pony-trekking is the best mode of transport as vehicles are neither allowed nor reachable to majority of places. (this includes the renowned Mahakali Temple and Bhutia Bustia Monastery)

The Kanchenjunga range can be sighted from almost all places in Darjeeling. Cafeteria seatings, sitouts on the ‘chowrasta’, the mall and hotel rooms; all are positioned to get the stunning views of one of the world’s most beautiful ranges. They appear like huge cakes with oodles of icing. “Tomorrow you can have a view, which will surpass all this,” avers our chauffeur.

Architecture and spiritualism
Next day’s wake up call comes at 3.30 am. (The proviso is that we should be there before peep of the day). Swathed in winter clothes we sally for Tiger hills. This is the highest point in Darjeeling. It seems the whole lot of tourists in cavalcades make a beeline for this point. The place is overcrowded with people braving the chill. But we ignore the throngs and concentrate on the spectacle. As the first rays of the sun strike the mountains, their white snow-capped peaks don a warm pinkish blue hue. A breathtaking sight.
On our return, the car stops at Ghoom before a monastery. Yiga Choling Gompa, popularly known as Ghoom Monastery, contains the images of Buddhist deities and lamas, a prominent one being the 15ft statue of Maitreya. Also worth a visit is the Dhirdam Mandir, fashioned in the style of Pasupathinath temple of Kathmandu, which showcases the culmination of Gorkhali architecture and is located just below the Darjeeling railway station.

The post-lunch session involves a visit to a park of exotica. Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park (established in 1958) is home to myriad rare fauna. It is home to Himalayan animals including Siberian tigers, red panda and the Tibetan wolf. The best part of this park is the snow leopard breeding centre. Further above (top of the knoll known as Birch Hill) is the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), an internationally reputed mountaineering establishment. Founded under the guidance of Nehru, it had Tenzing Norgay as its director for many years. It also houses an excellent museum on mountain lore, specimens of flora and fauna, traditional attires of Himalayan tribes and a full-fledged school for mountaineers. The Everest Museum (located in the same campus) chronicles the expeditions to the world’s summit.

Another stop is Mirik, about two hours drive from Darjeeling is a perfect place to take a jaunt. Darjeeling is synonymous with tea since time immemorial. Hence, a tour to this hilly retreat will never be complete without visiting a tea estate. Just two kms away from Mirik, our cab steers through a big estate. The mounds, hillocks and all rises are draped in emerald green. The verdancy is dotted with tea pluckers. We are in the midst of an estate, famous for Olong tea. The visit to the factory ends with a cup of ‘garam chai’.
The final day we allot for shopping and a ride on the toy train. We decide to commence it with purchase of tea (for home). Where to buy it? Well, guide books, suggestions by locals, lead us straight to Nathmull’s. Later we realised that the tea here is extremely expensive — Rs 13000 per kg! Other varieties start from Rs 3000.

Eat and shop
The toy train is in integral part of peoples’  lives in Darjeeling. The town seems to start its day as the first choo-choo puffs out of the station. It starts from the heart of the town and whistles past busy markets, flats and apartments. As the engine runs very slow you will be excited to see rail cars (with heads peeping out) running along with your cab. “I become restless if I don’t hear the chug of the carriage even for a day,” says a local.
After the ride, we return to the main bazaar for shopping. It offers items like wind chimes, brass statues and silver jewellery. Later, we have our lunch at Glenary’s the most famous confectioner in the north-east (also has continental cuisine). The pastries are really delectable. Our kids round it off with a creamy ice cream at Supersoft Parlour.

Quick Bites
Momos, thukpa, waiwai (a form of thick noodles either dampened with soup or served dry), churpees - local chewing gums made out of cow or yak milk.
 Also worth trying is chhang (made from millet) and tongba - a local beer.

Darjeeling tea: now savour the flavour of Gorkhaland

The best-known teas of India are acquiring a political flavour. When aficionados of tea from the gardens of Makaibari, Castleton or Orange Vallee sip their morning cuppa after March 7, the flavour will be the same, but the branding may change - from 'Darjeeling' to 'Gorkhaland'.

This is the demand being made by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), which is agitating for a separate Gorkhaland state carved out of the hills in northern West Bengal.

'The packs should carry the line 'Darjeeling Tea - The Flavour of Gorkhaland',' GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told IANS.

'Our people are talking to tea garden owners and it will be labelled differently from March 7,' Giri asserted.

Darjeeling, often referred to as The Queen of the Hills, boasts of around 87 tea estates spread across 16,000 hectares with an approximate workforce of 150,000, he said.

Darjeeling accounts for seven percent of India's tea exports, with the region churning out about 10 million kilograms of high-quality brews.

'Around 10-11 million kilograms of Darjeeling tea is produced every year, out of which six to seven million kilograms is exported,' S. Patra, joint secretary of tea garden owners' body Indian Tea Association, told IANS. MORE...

Darjeeling tea area to be enhanced

The Darjeeling tea industry plans to bring about 10,000 additional hectares under tea cultivation over the next few years, Sanjay Bansal, Chairman of the Darjeeling Tea Association, the industry apex body said. MORE...

AGSU strike successful in Darjeeling

Darjeeling: The 12-hour strike called by the All Gorkha Students’ Union (Agsu) in the Darjeeling hills today drew a mixed response from the people.

While the bandh was near total in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Mirik, it went largely unnoticed in the Kalimpong subdivision.

The apolitical students’ body had called the strike in support of a 7-point charter of demands, including the setting up of a central technical university and the granting of tribal status to all Gorkha communities before the hills are included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

Buoyed by the success of the strike, Roshan Giri, the president of the Agsu’s central committee, said the state government should now seriously look into their demands.

“The people have shown that they are with us. We are hopeful that Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will reverse his decision to set up the central university in Darjeeling instead of Jalpaiguri,” he said.

The Agsu leader further said in case the government did not react favourably to their demands, the students’ body would call a 48-hour general strike by the end of the month. “We will also hold rallies and hunger strikes both in Calcutta and Delhi in support of our demand,” said Giri.

Early in the morning today senior GNLF leaders, including Deepak Gurung, president, GNLF’s Darjeeling branch committee, were seen at Chowk Bazaar in Darjeeling town “requesting” people to open their shops. However, even members of the GNLF-affiliated Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Transport Joint Action Committee stayed off the roads and the GNLF leaders soon dispersed. The GNLF was able to open shops in the Bijanbari-Kaijalay area around 10 am but all other parts of the Darjeeling subdivision remained shut. Educational institutions and offices, including the GNLF-controlled Darjeeling Municipality, were closed for the day.

No untoward incidents were reported from anywhere in the hills, as police personnel were seen posted at all important points across the three subdivisions.

The strike in the hills, however, adversely affected the hundreds of tourists who arrived in Siliguri on their way to Darjeeling and other tourist spots, as transport to the destinations was unavailable.

“Most of them were unaware of the strike and were forced to alter their travel plans and stay in Siliguri for the day,” said Samrat Sanyal, the secretary of the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators’ Association.

Source: The Telegraph

Darjeeling Tea and Sikkim Temi by Post

Sikkim: The postal departments of Darjeeling and Sikkim are all set to start selling quality Darjeeling tea from this month.

John Samuel, Post Master General of North Bengal and Sikkim told the press persons in Gangtok in a meeting that the new 'tea post service' was already launched at the Darjeeling post office on March 24 and within two months, the department would complete all the arrangements to introduce Sikkim's famous Temi tea and big cardamom tea services from Gangtok post office.

The new service would be helpful to both tourists and native residents, who would like to send the famous Darjeeling tea packets to their near and dear ones as gifts, said Samuel. Henceforth, all varieties of Darjeeling tea will be dispatched to any part of the world from the Darjeeling post office.

In order to make the service efficient, the department will open a separate counter, where Temi tea and cardamom tea will be available to be sent abroad or to distant places, stuffed in a special type of package so that it reaches the destination without any damage. Apart from tea and cardamom, a special kind of tea known as 'dietea', beneficial to the diabetes patients will also be made available.

Plans are in the anvil to establish a post office at Chhangu lake area, which will sell Sikkimese handicrafts and other items of utility to the tourists, who visit Chhangu Lake. Apart from this, four post offices, covering all the four districts -- Gangtok, Namchi, Mangan and Gyalsing, will start functioning as 'information centres'.

Information about various development projects being implemented in Sikkim will be provided by the Government, and other information about the timings of transport services, Railways and flights, prices of food commodities will be compiled by the post office personnel. All these post offices will also run cyber cafés providing Internet facilities to the people.

The department will also organise an exhibition at the Tashi Namgyal Auditorium in April 2005, where 50,000 stamps from all over the world will be exhibited.

Source: Hindustan Times