Purified water to reach houses of tea garden workers by 2024,says West Bengal Minister

They aim was to complete this work in remote areas across the state by 2024.

EOI | SILIGURI | 24 SEPTEMBER 2022 : "By 2024, purified drinking water will reach all households including tea gardens in remote areas of the state," West Bengal Water Resources Minister Pulak Roy assured on Saturday after a meeting with the Public Health Engineering and Labor Departments in Siliguri.

Along with Labor Minister Malay Ghatak, he held the meeting at Siliguri State Guest House. Mayor of Siliguri Gautam Deb was present, also District Magistrate of Darjeeling S Punnambalam, There was a detailed discussion on the 'Jal Swapna' project announced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, with the aim of delivering drinking water to every house in the city and rural areas.

Minister Pulak Roy said later that according to the rules, the tea plantation workers should be provided drinking water and medical services by the owners. But when they failed to provide the service, as per the Chief Minister's directive, purified drinking water would be delivered to every house in all the teagardens of West Bengal under the Jal Swapna project.

The aim was to complete this work in remote areas across the state by 2024.Work had started to ensure that water reached the tea garden area by 2023. Besides a detailed project report has been prepared to solve the problem of drinking water in Siliguri city as well, he said.

On the same day, Minister Malay Ghatak held a meeting with the Tea Advisory Council for the development of tea plantation areas and workers. The discussion was mainly about the tea gardens in the hills.

Trinamool All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee had recently made several promises for the development of tea plantation areas and the development of tea workers. The state government had started working according to that promise Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress State President Ritabrata Banerjee who was present in the meeting said that houses for children were being built in the hill tea garden areas where about 50children could live together, Besides, 20 health centers were being built in all those areas; 20 ambulances would be provided in different places.