DARJEELING, : GTA chief executive Anit Thapa met West Bengal Labour minister Moloy Ghatak in Kolkata today, demanding the State government to issue a notification for the distribution of land pattas on an “as is where is” basis. He also requested that the ongoing survey in tea garden areas be halted until such a notification is issued.
The State government’s land survey in tea gardens has been met with opposition from various quarters with concerns that tea garden workers will only get parja patta for five decimals of land. The demand is that workers should be granted ownership of the entire land they have been residing on.
“I am writing to respectfully demand that your ministry issue a notification regarding the distribution of land pattas on an ‘as is where is’ basis. This move would greatly benefit the residents of tea garden areas who have been staying on the said land since time immemorial,” Thapa stated in a letter submitted to Ghatak.
He further urged that the notification ensure the distribution of land pattas in GTA tea garden areas without restrictions on the area occupied by workers and in a fair and transparent manner. “Until a clear notification is issued, I request that the ongoing land survey in the tea garden areas of GTA be stopped,” he added.
Earlier, on February 8, Ajoy Edwards-led Indian Gorkha Janshakti Front (IGJF) organized a mass protest rally in Mirik with land patta distribution being one of the key demands. Trade unions affiliated with various political outfits have also opposed the proposal of granting parja patta for only five decimals of land to tea garden workers.