3 dead in closed estate.... UNION LEADERS ALLEGE NEGLIGENCE BY HEALTH OFFICIALS

TT, Jalpaiguri: Three residents of the closed Raipur tea estate on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri town have died from various ailments in the past 12 days, with the dwellers and Trinamul union leaders blaming the district health authorities.

They have alleged lack of treatment as Bandhu Oraon, 65 and Bachcha Nayak, 50, died at home. Mini Oraon, 48, a female worker, died soon after being admitted to the "superspecialty" Jalpaiguri hospital.

"The tea garden has been closed for the past six months and many workers are ill. The state is providing food grains to them and taking initiatives to reopen the garden. However, we find that a section of health officials sent to the garden to organise medical camps are negligent. Sometimes, they come once a week and sometimes twice. They check patients at the camp but not in the quarters to see if anybody is sick," said Swapan Sarkar, the working president of Terai Dooars Plantation Workers' Union that is Raipur Tea Estate. File picture affiliated to Inttuc. Pradhan Hembram, a worker and the Pradhan of Patkata panchayat of Jalpaiguri Sadar block under which Raipur is located, said some at the garden are too ill weak to visit the health camp. "They need immediate medical attention. The district health department should be more vigilant and must conduct door-todoor survey to ensure that all those sick are provided with treatment," said Hembram.

The garden used to employ around 650 workers. The total population in Raipur is around 2,500.

According to the residents, there are many elderly residents who are ill and stay at the workers' quarters while their children and relatives are away in Jalpaiguri town or have even moved to other states in search of jobs.

"There is no shortage of food grains but these people should be provided with proper healthcare," added Sarkar, the TDPWU leader.

During the Left rule, the garden had remained closed for over three years. It reopened in July 2014.

"However, the new management was somehow running the garden and was yet to clear the old dues of workers. In September last year, the manager abandoned the garden, without serving any notice," said Hembram Jagannath Sarkar, the chief medical officer of health of Jalpaiguri, denied charges of negligence. "Medical camps are held in the closed tea gardens on a regular basis. Medicines are distributed among the patients and if required, they are shifted to hospitals. We will still check out what has been the reason for the deaths of these three residents. But there has been no negligence," said Sarkar.

Union leaders have approached the state labour department to reopen the garden. "We have convened a number of tripartite meetings but none from the management's side turned up. A report has been sent to the government," said Partha Biswas, the deputy labour commissioner of Jalpaiguri.