Perfect for a political slugfest

Pramod Giri & Amitava Banerjee , HT, SILIGURI/ DARJEELING:Forget the romance of Darjeeling tea. The parade of deaths in an impoverished workforce and political tug-of-war with the approaching Assembly elections have come to represent the tea industry in North Bengal where chief minister Mamata Banerjee handed over investigation against a major tea company to the Criminal Investigation Department.

As many as 14 workers have died in Bagrakote Tea Garden owned by the Duncan Industries since September 14. Since February the company has been irregular in paying wages, ration and other statutory benefits to the workers, who number about 25,000 in 14 gardens.

Tea is a labour-intensive industry and North Bengal has about 3.5 lakh labourers working in 273 gardens. It is a crucial vote bank and in many places the election revolves around the tea gardens.

Of these 273, as many as 154 are in the Dooars (foothills of the Himalayas), where thousands of workers are in distress though only seven are closed.

The tea garden belt in Dooars accounts for as many as 21 MLAs.

A number of gardens suffer from the lack of working capital, low productivity, poor sales and high costs that have, in turn, left the workers high and dry.

The resultant human tragedy has made the gardens a perfect theatre of high pitch political slugfest.

CPI(M) has already started campaigning in the tea garden belts. “Referring one case to the CID is mere eyewash just before the Assembly election,” said Asok Bhattacharya.

On a trip in the adjoining district of Alipurduar, the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, said, “If you cannot run the tea gardens tell us. We will hand them over to those who can,” said the chief minister in a public meeting.

“The state government has miserably failed to provide relief to the workers in tea gardens. It cannot provide alternative employment for the workers dying of malnutrition,” said Jibesh Sarkar, CPI(M) Darjeeling district secretary.

In the tea gardens Left influence seems to be substantially more than that of the Trinamool Congress.

The joint forum of 24 trade unions led by CITU has already called one-day strike in the tea gardens of North Bengal on December 1. The strike is to demand the intervention of the Centre to break the impasse in the 16 tea gardens owned by Duncan Industries.

The rare step of the chief minister handing over the Duncan case to CID comes against the backdrop of the Left resistance against the ruling Trinamool that is growing in and around Siliguri.

With Assembly polls just about six months away, the importance of the tea garden workers has risen significantly to the ruling Trinamool. The situation has become all the more politically significant as Siliguri city and subdivision are the only spots – not far from the garden zone – where the Left are offering resistance to the ruling party’s juggernaut.

Former minister Asok Bhattacharya led CPI(M) to victory in Siliguri Municipal Corporation in April and panchayat elections in October, and disgruntled tea garden workers can become a perfect fodder to add momentum to this Left effort.

The garden deaths could not have happened at a more inopportune moment for Mamata. On Sunday evening when she began her four-day North Bengal tour, Ratni Goalini (62), a former worker of Bagrakote tea garden, died of dysentery.

Her son, Bifai Gowala, who is a worker, said, “My mother fell ill on Friday and was admitted to the garden hospital.” As the garden hospital has no medical facilities and doctor, she was referred to nearby Malbazar sub divisional hospital. “As we had no money we could not take her to Malbazar hospital,” said Bifai.

A health staff at Bagrakote Tea Garden hospital said, “The death toll is high. Insecurity clubbed with non-payment of wages, lack of ration and medical facilities are the reasons why so many people are dying.”

On Monday, the local administration sent four sick persons to Malbazar hospital after North Bengal development minister, Gautam Deb, visited the garden. Deb said “The management has neglected the workers and we will not tolerate this.”

“Even bare minimum medical facilities are not available in the gardens following which the poor workers and their dependents are left to destiny,” said Jiaul Alam, a CITU leader, who is also the convenor of joint forum of 24 trade unions. “Many have left the gardens in search of odd jobs,” said Nakul Sunar, an INTTUC leader.

Anuradha Talwar, the adviser to the commissioners of the Supreme Court who wrote to the chief minister on October 28 drawing her attention on the matter, said, “The situation is alarming.” She said the government should provide food to all the people in the garden, make arrangements for safe drinking water and start MGNREGA works in the gardens immediately.