Kolkata: At least six workers of a closed down tea estate in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district have died from malnutrition in the last six days, an official said on Saturday. All the six workers belong to the now closed Raipur tea estate on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri town.
“The deaths have been due to malnutrition,” a district official said.
With the family of one of the victims – Jit Munda – expressing their inability to cremate his body due to lack of money, the district administration came to the rescue.
Munda had died on Friday but was cremated only on Saturday after the administration came forward.
“While malnutrition is the biggest problem, the misery is compounded by the fact that these people have no money to buy even food so how can they buy medicine,” said Subir Jana, in charge of a medical camp in the tea estate.
Meanwhile condemning the deaths, the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) has demanded opening up all closed tea estates beside providing monetary compensation to the victims’ families. (PTI)
