Darjeeling MP Raju Bista slams Mamata Banerjee’s proposal to divert tea garden land

The announcement by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to allow 30 per cent of tea garden land to be diverted for purposes other than tea cultivation has raised concerns among the locals, particularly those residing in the Darjeeling hills, Terai, and Dooars regions. Raju Bista, Member of Parliament for Darjeeling, voiced his strong opposition to the proposal, calling it a dangerous step that could leave indigenous communities homeless.

The new policy, which aims to reallocate a portion of tea garden land for commercial real estate and other developments, has sparked alarm due to the region’s long history of exploitation. For generations, communities such as the Gorkhas, Adivasis, Rajbangshis, Rabha, Koche, Meche, Toto, and Bengali people have lived and worked on these lands, many of them in the tea and cinchona gardens. However, these workers have long been deprived of their rightful ownership of the land.

Bista referred to the alarming conditions highlighted in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce Report No. 171, which revealed that tea workers were so deprived of land that they had to approach tea companies for permission to bury their dead. The proposed diversion of tea garden land, Bista argued, is yet another step in a long line of actions that neglect the rights of these indigenous communities.

“Today, in the name of ‘Tea Tourism’, luxury hotels and large resorts are already being constructed on the land that tea workers have worked on for generations,” said Bista. “Now, the West Bengal government wants to open up even more of this land for commercial real estate developments. This is a serious threat to the livelihood of the workers and their communities.”

The MP also pointed to the troubled history of the West Bengal government’s treatment of tea garden workers, referencing incidents like the 1955 Margaret’s Hope massacre, when workers were killed for demanding fair wages. Another example was the eviction of over 15,000 people from the Chandmuni tea garden to make way for the Uttarayon project, with no compensation or rehabilitation for the displaced workers.

“If this land diversion goes ahead, it will be the end of the tea industry, as real-estate developers will take over. It will displace tea garden and cinchona garden workers who have already been denied rights to their ancestral lands,” Bista said.

Bista also pointed out that the Darjeeling hills, Terai, and Dooars are already suffering from severe shortages of drinking water, healthcare facilities, and road infrastructure. With the proposed construction of more luxury developments, these issues will likely worsen, further depriving the indigenous population of access to basic resources.

The MP also expressed deep frustration over the lack of consultation with local communities and elected representatives before the announcement. “Mamata Banerjee’s decision-making has once again been arbitrary and dictatorial,” Bista said. “No consultation with the tea garden workers or the elected representatives from these areas has been done. Such decisions affect the lives of the people, and they must be heard.”

Bista has called on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to reconsider this policy, warning that the indigenous people of Darjeeling, Terai, and Dooars will have no choice but to protest against this measure if it moves forward.

“We cannot afford to stand by while the region’s resources are further depleted and our people are left homeless,” he said.