To live in one’s own house is a dream for all, and this dream is being fulfilled for the tea workers of North Bengal. Finally, they are getting their own houses, and that too, free of cost.
These days the district administration of Alipurduar is busy in the implementation of a special scheme that aims to provide proper housing units with land rights to permanent workers of tea estates in the district. The scheme is ‘Chaa Sundari’. This is a housing scheme to provide the workers their own home and other benefits free of cost. Besides housing, it offers various other benefits for the overall upliftment of tea garden labourers, like subsidised rations, increased wages, etc.
Indian Masterminds interacted with the District Magistrate of Alipurduar in North Bengal, 2011-batch IAS officer Surendra Kumar Meena, to know about the implementation of the scheme in the district.
CHA SUNDARI SCHEME
The Alipurduar district administration identified land in tea estates for the houses to come up in the first phase.
Talking to Indian Masterminds, DM Surendra Kumar Meena said, “In Chaa Sundari Scheme, each dwelling unit has two rooms, one kitchen, one toilet and verandah. This is single storied units, each having covered area of 394 sq. feet and the unit cost is Rs. 5.43 lakhs. All other basic facilities,i.e. drinking water, electricity, road connectivity, play grounds, social infrastructure are also provided.”
THE PLAN
The scheme aims to provide brick houses to at least 3,694 workers in seven sick tea gardens in Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts of North Bengal. North Bengal is predominantly the tea hub of West Bengal. The Dooars region along the Himalayan foothills that falls in this part is most suitable for tea cultivation.
Big tea majors as well as small private players are all engaged in the tea industry here. However, as tea industry is witnessing a slump, many of these estates have suffered great loses rendering them sick. These sick estates will be the main focus of the Cha Sundari scheme, and permanent workers here, who do not have their own houses to live in, will be provided with their own brick dwelling unit along with the land rights.
Mainly workers in 370 gardens are being covered. Besides getting a free house and land rights, they will also get subsidised food rations. The scheme will also extend maximum benefits to women and the scheduled tribe communities of these areas.
Mr. Meena told Indian Masterminds, “In the first phase, five tea estates were identified in Alipurduar district and most of the houses have already been built. The distribution will begin soon.”
