Himalayan Times (1958)

April 20, 1968

Tur»»

MR. SATTAR ADDRESSES CINCHONA WORKERS

Diicriminatory Attitude Towards Hill People Alleged

. {From Our Special Representative )

Darjeeling, April 17

Mr. AbduB Sattar, the
West Bengal Labour Mi-
nister, who arrived here
last •rening, laid that his
present visit is in con-
nexion with labour prob-
lems in tea gardens.
While it was his intention
to promote labour welfare .
he was not averse to exa-
mine managements' view-
point eo that greatest
benefit oould accrue to
labour without jeopardi
zing the industry, he said.

Addressing the work-
era of the Government
cinchona plantation at
Mangpoo on Monday Mr.'
Setter eaid the Govern-
ment was presently in-
curring a loss of Rs. 12
lakhs annually in running
the plantation'. The loss
would inorease by Rs. 2
lakhs on the implemen-
tation of the general in-
crement of Rs 6 in D A.
granted to State Govern-
ment employees. Though
demands for quinine were
deolining in the Govern-
ment did not propose to
retrenoh workers, he added.

Th» Government was
also studying the question
of introducing subsidiary
industries to absorb sur-
plus labour. Private sec-
tor wae aleo being urged

to open similar industries
in tea gardens to relieve
the burden of nnemploy-
ment. He suggested ma-
nufacture of emplements
and other accessories re.
quired by the industry
which are now being im-
ported.

• *

Speakers at a meet-
ing on Sunday April 13
under the Gorkha League
attaoked the Government
about the handling of
some local matters per-
taining to education health
food and development
projects. Mr. Deo Prokash
Rai who presided sum-
ming up alleged that a
discriminatory attitude
deterroinental to the hill
people was being. pursued
by the State Government
in all spheres. He said
that Nepali should not
only be made the medium
of instruction in the dis-
trict's hill areas but
should become a State
language. He demanded
the early establishment of
a residential university
for Darjeeling and pointed
out that students of the
Darjeeling Government
College were being greatly
inoonvenienced due to the
delay in filling up the

many vacancies in the
teaching staff. Mr. , Rai
said he would discuss with
the State Labour Minister
why theGovernment should
not take over those gar-
dens in Darjeeling which
were in the habit of clo-
sing down during, the
winter months, thereby
causing unemployment. If
nothing tangible emerged
out of the meeting he
threatened to start a
hunger march.

» *• ... *

; Many schemes execu-
ted in the hill areas under
Local Development N.E'S.
and C. D. organizations
tend to loose much of
their, utility due to laok
of provisions for their
maintenance. Roads cons-
tructed under these sohe-
mes are sometimes found
washed away after one
monsoon.

Drinking water sup-
plied under various dsvr>-
lopment and welfare pro-
jects has been found
oontaminatad, there being
no provision for disinfec-
tion of reservoirs. Cons-
equently the incidence of
bowel diseases such as
dysentery, round worms
and thread worms remain
high among ' the rural
population. The health
authorities art' understood
to have pointed out the
necessity of proper disin-
fection, but no oon»rete
steps seem to have been
talen to implement ^these
recom mend al ions.