Kailashahar, Apr 02, 2025, TRIPURATIMES Desk

Kailashahar, Apr 2: Leftist workers’ organizations have protested against the cutting of fruit and tea plantation trees in Kailashahar and demanded no government projects at the cost of workers’ livelihoods. 

A four-member delegation from the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) submitted a deputation to Unakoti District Magistrate Dilip Kumar Chakma on Wednesday.

The delegation, comprised of Nilkanta Sinha, Niranjan Roy, Ananta Nama and Ananta Das, urged the administration to stop felling trees in the Chanatoyl area, where hundreds of worker families depend on fruit orchards. 

They proposed using vacant land for bamboo plantations instead. 

Besides, they demanded employment for workers in the government’s planned tourism project at the abandoned Sonamukhi Tea Estate.

In response, the District Magistrate cited Minister Tinku Roy, stating that the fruit trees are too old to bear fruit and that the tea estate has been non-functional since 2007. 

He confirmed that the land is being repurposed for government offices, a three-star hotel and a park, with plans to provide permanent employment to workers.