Kallol Banerjee, additional labour commissioner, north Bengal zone, had issued an advisory to the Darjeeling tea industry to pay the bonus at the rate of 19 per cent of the worker's annual earnings
As the meeting failed, the Darjeeling Tea Association (DTA), which represents the hill gardens, sent a letter to the district magistrate of Darjeeling. In the letter, they mentioned that the tea gardens can, at best, offer a bonus at the statutory rate as per the bonus act, that is, 8.33 per cent