SHUT TEA GARDEN, UNPAID AID: MADHU ESTATE WORKERS BLOCK HIGHWAY AS LIVELIHOOD CRISIS DEEPENS

October 9, 2026

Workers of the closed Madhu tea estate in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district staged a nine-and-a-half-hour road blockade on the Kalchini–Hasimara state highway on Thursday, demanding immediate payment of financial assistance promised by the state government.

The tea garden has remained shut since May 18, 2025, leaving hundreds of workers without their regular source of livelihood. Of the estate’s original 952 workers, only 736 remain, while the others have reportedly left to seek employment in different states.

Under the state labour department’s Financial Assistance to Workers of Locked Out Industries (FAWLOI) scheme, workers of closed tea gardens are entitled to monthly assistance of ₹1,500. However, according to Binay Kerketta, a central committee member of the Pashchimbanga Cha Mazdoor Samiti, which organised the blockade, only 260 of the 736 remaining workers at Madhu tea estate have received the assistance despite the prolonged closure.

Kerketta said the union had submitted a memorandum to the state labour department but was informed that the file had been sent to Kolkata for approval. With Durga Puja approaching and payments still outstanding, workers decided to intensify their protest.

Around 300 women workers initially planned to march from the garden to Kalchini police station but subsequently changed course and blocked the highway. Male workers and family members joined the demonstration, disrupting traffic along the route.

One worker accused the state labour department of negligence and demanded that the government clear at least 15 months of outstanding assistance. At ₹1,500 per month, the arrears would amount to ₹22,500 for each worker for that period.

A source in the labour department indicated that 130 workers were likely to receive the assistance before Durga Puja, while payments to the remaining eligible workers could take longer.

District administration officials and police personnel held discussions with the protesters and eventually persuaded them to clear the highway in the evening. Workers said officials had assured them that most of the remaining beneficiaries would receive their payments before the festival.

The agitation highlights the continuing hardship faced by workers at closed tea estates in North Bengal, where delayed financial assistance and prolonged uncertainty over employment have left many families struggling to meet their basic needs.