Lock out in Tripura garden, 200 workers facing starvation

from a correspondent

Agartala, April 18: Uncertainty is prevailing over the fate of more than two hundred workers of Harendra gar Tea Estate even after four days of declaring lock out in the garden by the authority. The garden was a pride of the Mohonpur Sub-division in West Tripura district and was running in profit for years together. But the authority suddenly put a lock out notice in the gate on April 14, the Chaitra Sankranti day and fled away. It is learnt that the garden authority took the harsh decision following a dispute over taking photograph of a lady worker by one of the office staff and putting it in the social media.  The workers protested against the act and decided to stop work until action is taken against the erring office staff. A meeting called on April 13 between the garden authority and the workers failed to solve the problem and ended into a scuffle between the workers and the accused staff. On the following morning the workers came to the garden as that was the day for their weekly payment only to see that a lock out notice in the gate and none from the authorities were there.  It is learnt that the district authority has taken up the matter, contacted both the sides but yet to find any solution.