New Delhi : The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Union Government on a petition, which alleged that thousands of workers of tea plantations, which are on the verge of closure in eight States, have not been paid wages and statutory dues for several months.

A three-Judge Bench, comprising Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, Justice C.K. Thakker and Justice Markandey Katju, also issued notice to West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal; the Indian Tea Association; UPASI Tea Research Foundation, Valparai, Coimbatore district; and Tea Board, Kolkata.

``Centre duty bound''

The International Union of Food, Agriculture, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco, Plantation and Allied Workers Associations; the Paschim Banga Khet Majdoor Samity, Kolkata; the Estates Staff's Union of South India, Coimbatore; the Indian National Plantation Workers Federation (affiliated to the INTUC); and the Nilgiri District Estate Workers Union, Coonoor, Tamil Nadu had filed the petition.

The petitioners said the Centre and the Tea Board were duty bound to protect the workers' interests and help them recover their dues.

Direction to centre sought

They sought a direction to the Centre to take over the management of the tea gardens that had not paid the wages and complied with the statutory obligations and ask the Provident Fund Board to take immediate steps to recover the dues of the workmen.

They also wanted a directive to the respondents to pay forthwith all the workers in the closed and abandoned tea gardens their entire legal dues.

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