Bonus Crisis Casts Shadow Over Durga Puja in Dooars Tea Gardens

Siliguri, Oct 17 : The festive spirit of Durga Puja has been dampened across several tea gardens in West Bengal’s Dooars region as thousands of workers continue to await their bonus payments, triggering protests, demonstrations and road blockades. While workers in some estates are celebrating after receiving the promised 20 per cent bonus, employees in several other gardens are facing uncertainty amid a continuing deadlock between workers and managements.

The situation took a serious turn at Bharnabari Tea Estate in Alipurduar district, where workers, accompanied by tea workers’ leaders and local social workers, staged a demonstration outside Hasimara police station on Saturday morning. They alleged that the garden management had abandoned the estate without paying the bonus.

According to the protesters, the manager and other staff members left the premises after locking the garden at around 9 pm on Friday. The outstanding bonus amount at the estate is estimated to be around Rs 1.75 crore.

Gautam, a workers’ leader, appealed to local MP Bishal Lama to intervene and ensure the immediate payment of the outstanding dues.

“The administration has already initiated action against the managers. Several managers have been detained, and action will also be taken against the garden owners responsible for the non-payment of bonus,” Lama said.

The unrest has spread to several other tea gardens, including Hantapara, Gairganda, Dumchipara, Birpara, Demdima, Nageisuree and Kilcott. Workers at Demdima staged a dharna outside the factory gate, while demonstrations were reported from other estates.

The workers are demanding payment of the 20 per cent bonus recommended by the state government and have rejected proposals by some managements to disburse the amount in instalments.

Earlier, Alipurduar MP Manoj Tigga held a meeting with the administration and urged tea garden managements to negotiate with local workers’ representatives to resolve the dispute. However, the deadlock continues in several estates.

The discontent has also spread to Nagrakata, where tea workers reportedly conveyed their dissatisfaction to local MLA Puna Bhengra over the handling of the bonus issue.

The crisis has highlighted the widening divide across the Dooars tea belt. While workers in financially stable gardens are celebrating Durga Puja with their bonus payments, those employed in struggling estates remain caught in protests and uncertainty.

For many tea garden families, the failure to receive the bonus has severely curtailed their ability to celebrate the festival.

With demonstrations continuing across the region, workers are demanding immediate administrative intervention to ensure payment of their dues and action against managements responsible for the delay.