Bengal: Seven-day deadline given for tea gardens to clear workers' dues

Siliguri, Sep 25 (UNI) The West Bengal government has given tea garden owners seven days to clear outstanding wages, provident fund and gratuity dues of workers, failing which it will take steps to take back the gardens and facilitate their takeover by interested entrepreneurs for revival. State Labour Minister Arjun Singh announced the deadline after a meeting on closed and non-operational tea gardens and the future of the tea industry in North Bengal at Shramik Bhavan in Siliguri on Friday. Singh said the government would not allow tea garden managements to continue neglecting their responsibilities towards workers. If the outstanding…