Hill estate to reopen after worker arrests

Darjeeling, April 14: The management of Ging Tea Estate has decided to reopen the garden tomorrow after seven workers accused of assaulting the garden’s assistant manager surrendered in a Darjeeling court. Sandeep Mukherjee, the principal advisor of the Darjeeling Tea Association, said: “The management of Ging Tea Estate has decided to reopen the garden tomorrow after it was learnt that all seven workers involved in attacking the assistant manager surrendered in a court here.” Two workers, one of them garden supervisor Harsha Gurung, surrendered in the court of the chief judicial magistrate on Friday. The other five surrendered today. All the accused have been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. The decision to reopen the garden, locked since April 10, was taken after the management and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha affiliated Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union, held a meeting in Darjeeling today. The management had, however, specifically blamed the seven workers for the attack and not the union. “During the meeting the union leaders gave an undertaking to the management that such indiscipline would not occur in future and all differences would be solved amicably through a negotiation process as laid down in the industry’s norm,” said Mukherjee. On April 9, a group of workers, led by Harsha had attacked the garden’s assistant manager, Dipesh Kumar Gupta, 28, while he was on his way for lunch. “We are still unclear about the reason. It could be a personal grudge,” said Mukherjee. The management had alleged that the assistant manager was hit with iron roads and empty bottles and other executives who had gone to intervene were pelted with stones. “The assistant manager is still in the ICU. He has suffered cranial injury and his shoulder has been dislocated. There was also heavy loss of blood,” said Mukherjee. Suraj Subba, general secretary of the Morcha’s tea garden union, said: “We are happy that the management has decided to reopen the garden. We will also go to the workers to inform them about the need to abstain from violent activities. “We, were always of the opinion that the majority of the workers should not suffer because of the handiwork of a handful of workers,” he added. The garden owned by B.D. Tea Estates Pvt. Ltd, has a plantation area of 254 hectares and employs 776 workers.