Sun Feb 09 19:42:00 UTC 2025: ## West Bengal’s Tea Garden Land Diversion Policy Sparks Outrage
**Kolkata, February 10, 2025** – West Bengal’s new policy allowing tea gardens to use 30% of their land for non-tea cultivation has ignited a firestorm of protest from tea workers’ unions and opposition parties. The policy, announced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Bengal Global Business Summit on February 5th, permits the use of this land for tourism, commercial ventures, and other industries.
The Paschim Banga Cha Majoor Samity (PBKMS), a major tea workers’ union, vehemently opposes the “Land Diversion Policy,” arguing it will displace workers and harm the tea industry. The union contends that tourism and other industries employ significantly fewer people than tea cultivation, leading to job losses. They have called for a complete withdrawal of the policy and accused the state government of prioritizing corporate interests over the welfare of tea workers. The PBKMS also highlighted the historical denial of land rights to indigenous tribal communities working on tea gardens, criticizing the government’s offer of only 5 decimal patta land (a small plot) as insufficient compensation for generations of work on the land.
Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista has also condemned the policy, claiming it threatens indigenous groups, including Gorkhas, Adivasis, and others who have historically faced exploitation. He has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari to intervene and protect the rights of tea garden workers. Bista emphasized the irony of a government that rose to power on a land rights movement now seemingly dispossessing indigenous communities. The MP vowed to fight against the further exploitation of tea and cinchona garden workers. The controversy continues to unfold, with the future of West Bengal’s tea industry and its workers hanging in the balance.
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