The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration has announced a direct-cash-transfer scheme for tea garden workers from the money collected for the chairman’s relief fund.

Soon after the tea gardens were closed because of the lockdown, the GTA had announced setting up of the fund and maintained that the major portion of the amount would be utilised to pay tea garden workers.

The hill gardens started functioning from April 9 and have been mandated to utilise 25 per cent of the total work force.

There are over 55,000 permanent workers and 15,000 temporary workers in the 87 tea gardens in the hills.

On May Day, Anit Thapa, the chairman of the board of administrators of the GTA, announced the direct cash transfer scheme.

“On May Day, I would like to announce that after an additional contribution from the GTA, we will directly transfer the amount collected for the chairman’s relief fund to the bank accounts of the tea garden workers,” Thapa said.

Nearly 11,000 donors have contributed around Rs 1. 77 crore.

Bimal Gurung, the president of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (Bimal camp), had issued a video message on social media on two consecutive days and alleged that the funds had been collected, at times forcibly, from school teachers, to be pocketed by the leaders in charge of the GTA.

“They might have to be on the run soon and this is probably why they are trying to pocket the funds,” Gurung said, questioning the role of the GTA in alleviating the woes of the tea garden worker.

Online registration

The GTA has launched a website, www.gtadmin.org, for residents of the area who want to return home. These citizens have to fill the online form following which a “unique application” will be generated and this will be verified at the screening centres before entering the hills.