LONG WAIT Darjeeling, March 27: The Darjeeling Tea Association today said planters were forced to pay wages in cash because of non-cooperation by banks though most workers had opened bank accounts. "Almost 80 per cent of tea garden workers in the hills have bank accounts now. We have information that some banks have confidential internal communications, directing local branches not to entertain garden workers," said Sandeep Mukherjee, the principal advisor to the DTA. He said many banks demanded that the workers' accounts be opened in a tea estate's principal bank. The association has asked tea gardens to collect specific instances of non-cooperation by banks by April 5 and compile a report.

Source: The Telegraph March 27, 2017 21:11 UTC