The tea sector in the Dooars and the Terai has suffered a loss of Rs 6 crore

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. 

TT