Rongmook Ceder Tea Garden

According to the 2011 Census of India, Rongmook Ceder Tea Garden had a total population of 5,150 of which 2,528 (49%) were males and 2,622 (51%) were females. There were 423 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years. The total number of literate people in Rongmook Ceder Tea Garden was 3,455 (67.09% of the population over 6 years).[1]

According to the District Census Handbook 2011, Darjiling, Rongmook Ceder Tea Garden covered an area of 7.1428 km². Among the civic amenities, it had 8 km of roads with open drains, the protected water supply involved overhead tank and spring. It had 1,220 domestic electric connections. Among the educational facilities it had were 7 primary schools, 1 middle school, the nearest secondary and senior secondary schools at Pacherig Bazar 8 km away. It had 1 non-formal education centre (Sarva Siksha Abhiyan). An important commodity it manufactured was tea.[2]

Rungmook tea estate and Cedar tea estate, both planted in the mid-1800s, were merged in the early 1900s.[3]1970s and 1980s were times of trouble for the tea gardens. Most of the British owners left and went back to England. Geoffrey James Ower-Johnston, the owner of Rungmook Cedar Tea Estate, having long family links with the garden, was struggling to keep things going. Poor financial management, labour agitation and natural disasters had pushed the garden into the red. The workers were not being paid. In 1981, the state government had listed the garden as “sick” and certain legal procedures were continuing, when Geoffrey was mobbed and after some altercations, he handed over the gun he always carried and then was attacked with daggers and spears. He died and was buried in Darjeeling.[4]Rungmook Cedar Tea Estate was subsequently taken over by Darjeeling Oraganic Tea Estates Private Ltd., a company formed by Bansal, with the objective of reviving closed and sick tea gardens.[5]The garden is located at a height of 5,500 ft (1,700 m). A large portion of the garden is forested.[3]