Every day in Ganashakti, we are reading about the continuing human tragedy in North Bengal tea gardens. We cannot expect any help from state or çentral governments. But shall we only continue to blame the failure of governments or do something ourselves?

Then why aren’t we requesting all Party members and sympathisers to contribute their two days salary and create a fund to save the workers?

We say that we are a mass Party. If that be so, then why aren’t we doing these things?

Sarbatrik Brahma, Kolkata

YOU are right in saying that we should extend all possible help to the tea garden workers in North Bengal.  The CPI(M) in West Bengal has been collecting funds from the people for the tea garden workers. So far an amount of Rs 9,62,348  has been raised.

At the trade union level and in the tea garden areas, there have been various efforts to provide assistance. The state committee of CITU has collected Rs 6,00,000 out of which Rs 4,50,000 was given to Peoples Relief Committee which is looking after all the health needs of the tea garden workers and Rs 1,50,000 to the CITU affiliated tea garden union for direct disbursal amongst the affected workers. The CITU is continuing the collection of funds for the relief work.

The state and central government employees and bank and LIC employees are all giving a part of their salary/pension for the relief. The LIC comrades have given Rs 4 lakhs and the Bank comrades have given Rs 3 lakhs for the relief work. The State Government Employees Co-ordination Committee has sent 872 food parcels for the workers. They have also collected writing material and distributed among school going children.

The state committee of the All India Kisan Sabha has collected Rs 3,18,000.

Apart from this, all mass organisations have also collected funds for them.

The basic struggle to protect the workers’ rights and jobs is being conducted by the CITU affiliated union and there is also a joint committee of all the tea garden unions who have been conducting joint movement to get the closed tea gardens opened; for ensuring that the workers are paid their wages and dues and to demand that the government step in to revive the ailing industry.