Hundreds of tea garden workers joined Trinamul Congress leaders and supporters in two rallies which commenced from Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts on Friday over the issue of provident fund.

The rallies will pass through the tea belt of the two districts in the next four days and congregate in front of the regional office of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on December 13.

In recent years, this is the first time that the ruling party of Bengal has taken up such an extensive programme for tea workers.

Attending a public meeting in the tea town of Malbazar in September, Trinamul’s all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had expressed anguish over the problems faced by the tea workers in connection with their provident fund.

He had said the EPFO, a central government organisation, should take necessary steps to ensure that PF was deposited in the workers’ accounts on time and they received their PF in due time after superannuation.

Moloy Ghatak, the state labour minister who was present at the beginning of a rally that started from Ellenbarrie in the western Dooars, has said even now, a considerable number of workers do not have their Aadhaar linked to the PF account, because of which PF is not deposited in their accounts.

“Also, a section of tea companies is not depositing the PF on time and there is a delay in the disbursement of the amount after retirement. We are organising the rallies and will demonstrate in front of the EPFO office,” said Ghatak.

The second rally commenced from Sankos tea estate, which is on the Bengal-Assam border.

In the past couple of months, the Trinamul government has taken a number of initiatives for the tea population. They include issuing identity cards to each tea worker and construction of crèches.

The BJP said Trinamul should answer why state police had not taken steps against tea estates which defaulted on PF. “The EPFO authorities regularly come up with lists of defaulters. In fact, at different police stations in the Dooars, complaints have been filed against tea companies by the EPFO for not depositing the PF. Trinamul leaders should tell workers why the police are not taking steps against such companies,” said Manoj Tigga, the chief whip of the BJP in the Assembly.