March against acquisition of tea garden estates

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 2

Social activists and political leaders, under the aegis of the Save Tea Garden Action Committee, held a torchlight procession at the Arcadia Grant tea garden here today against the acquisition of tea estates for Smart City project.

Tea garden workers pledged to continue the agitation till the state government withdrew its decision of acquiring tea garden land in Dehradun. Earlier, representatives of various organisations gathered at Gandhi Park.

SS Pangtey, a social activist, said it was strange that the state government was going ahead with the acquisition of tea estates against the laws.

CPI leader Samar Bhandari called upon people from all sections of society to join hands to oppose the government move.

Ravindra Jugran said a large number of tea garden workers would become jobless. “The state government’s sole aim is to benefit builders in the name of the Smart City project,” he added

Uttarakhand Parivartan Party leader Kuldeep Madhwal, statehood agitator Kamla Pant and Tea Garden Employees’ Association president Chitra Gupta took part in the procession.

CPI leader supports tea garden workers

Binoy Viswam, a former Kerala minister and national executive member of the CPI, today accused the Congress of resorting to hypocrisy as reflected in its land acquisition policy.

Viswam, who was here today to express solidarity with workers protesting against the acquisition of tea garden land, said it was a big paradox that while the Congress opposed the land acquisition policy at the Centre tooth and nail, it was now acquiring tea garden land to serve the purpose of corporates.

“One must ask Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi that while he talks a lot about opposing land acquisition at the Centre, the government of his party in Uttarakhand was resorting to the acquisition of tea garden. He had even undertaken a padyatra against the land acquisition policy,” he added.