Tea garden workers blocked National Highway-17 on Tuesday morning in the Jalpaiguri district to demand their 20 percent Durga Puja bonus and long-pending unpaid wages. Hundreds of workers, including a large number of women, stopped working and took to the streets because festival time financial problems forced them to protest.
Long lines of vehicles formed on both sides of the road, stopping buses, lorries, and other vehicles heading towards Birpara, Jalpaiguri, and Malbazar. Protesting worker Arvind Kerketta stated that management delays regarding wages and bonuses before the festival are unacceptable.
Police teams from Meteli and Malbazar police stations reached the spot after receiving news of the road blockade and started talking to the workers to clear the traffic.
