Tea Estate authority locked by 600 workers for non-payment of dues

Ambassa, Jul 10: The in-charge of a tea estate in the bordering subdivision of Kamalpur in the northern Tripura district of Dhalai was on Monday locked by at least 600 labourers and employees for the payment of their dues.

Mahabir Tea Estate, established in 1930 in the subdivision has been under financial problems in the recent times. The estate fell into mismanagement when its manager left without notice. Troubled by gross misappropriations, the financial difficulties of the tea garden spiralled which could not be resolved by the present authority Shibalik Choudhury.

Adding to his woes, at least 600 labourers and employees of the garden locked Choudhury in his office yesterday, demanding payment of their due wages of last three years as they had not been received full salary during the period.

The deadlock ended after the intervention of the District Labour Inspector Muktipada Pal. It was decided that the Mahabir Teas Estate authority will clear all the dues within the months of July and August, which appeased the agitating workers.

Mahabir Tea Estate was once a profit-making business. But in the recent years, clashes among the shareholders of the owner Choudhury Group has pushed the estate into problems. In the absence of management and proper supervision, the beleaguered tea estate has run into further problems due to misappropriation of funds.