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Hill tea garden K'pong Municipality reopened....Works resumed in 5 tea gardens, all municipality and other state government offices

Hill tea garden K'pong Municipality reopened....Works resumed in 5 tea gardens, all municipality and other state government offices

SNS, 18 September Kuresong/ Kalimpong: The Castleton Tea Estate near Kurseong town reopened today after closing for over three months following the indefinite shutdown call for the Gorkhaland agitation in the hills in early June. The Kalimpong Municipality too, opened today after three months.
With today's development in Kurseong amid very tight security, a total of five tea estates under the Kurseong sub-division, including Marionbarie and Simulbarie Tea Estates, in the foothills, have resumed work so far. Rohini and Longview Tea Estates reopened a few weeks ago.
At the Castleton tea estate, a section of workers and staff mainly undertook cleaning work in the factory, offices and the gardens today.
However, a section of the tea workers there are against the resumption of the work, as they feel that the shut-down called as part of the statehood stir should not be lifted untill some "positive" results come up.
Sources, however, said that the dominant group in the garden belongs to the Anit Thapa faction of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM). It may be mentioned that Mr Thapa, the rebel GJMM leader, along with another rebel leader, Binay Tamang, have been requesting people to bring back normality in the Hills by opening shops, schools and plying vehicles.
"We presently have 3,300 types of ready made tea of different qualities worth Rs 29 lakh, which had been kept ready for sale before the bandh started. However, the shutdown and the closure of the garden led to the tea gathering fungus," management sources said.
A worker, meanwhile, claimed that the Castleton Tea Estate management provided them with full medical facilities during the closure too.
In Kalimpong the gates of the municipality office opened after more than three months today, even as the town has been filled with trash dumped in almost every nook and cranny.
Municipality sources said garbage collection had become a problem after they failed to get fuel for their vehicles that would lift the waste from the roadsides.
It may be mentioned that the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) formed the board in the Kalimpong Municipality after it won the civic elections recently. However, after the oath-taking ceremony, the elected body was able to sit for one board meeting only before the indefinite shutdown began in the Hills.
"The office opened today after along time and employees have turned up. Normal work will start soon," Municipality executive officer Diptendu Shekhar Das who joined work on 16 August, said.
The municipality has 35 employees, out of whom 79 were present today. The elected body did not report, it is learnt.
Suva Pradhan, the Municipality Chairman, later said he was not informed by the municipality executive officer regarding the opening of the office today. "Employees from the sanitation and conservation departments gave me a call saying that dengue has spread in the town and they have to fog areas and sprinkle bleaching powder. I did not officially allow them to open the office,' Mr Pradhan said.
According to him, officials who opened the offices today cannot perform any work as the "signing authority is with the elected body and not government officials.'
"The body will not cooperate with the officials until the strike is officially withdrawn," he added.

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