Agartala: Dec 29: Workers in Kailashahar’s Hirachhara Tea Garden are facing severe hardship, with no wages despite working tirelessly. They are suffering from poverty, hunger, and despair. On Sunday, these workers staged a protest by surrounding the Hirachhara Village Committee office. The workers raised concerns about the deplorable condition of the tea garden, which is the first tea garden in Tripura and is over 120 years old. Despite housing around 600 worker families, the situation in the garden has become extremely dire.
Several years ago, the tea garden was managed by the Silkoot Company, but it is now operated by a company called Sunsine. A local individual, Mosabbir Ali, claims to be the owner of both Silkoot and Sunsine companies. Workers accuse him of not paying their wages and denying them other basic entitlements. When workers demand their wages, they report being mistreated by the garden owner. Additionally, the garden owner has allegedly filed false police cases against the children of worker families.
Recently, the workers sent a written complaint to both the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Kailashahar and the District Magistrate of Unakoti district. The workers claim that Mosabbir Ali is not the legitimate owner of the garden and is running it illegally. When the workers asked him to provide documentation proving his ownership, he reportedly attacked them and later filed false cases against them.
The workers are now demanding that they be allowed to form a society to manage the garden themselves. They want the opportunity to oversee their livelihood and ensure they receive fair treatment and compensation for their labor. The ongoing struggles highlight the need for legal intervention to address their grievances.
