To run the tea gardens, Duncans plans to raise Rs 70 crore by disposing assets and going into joint ventures with government help.
In a move that could mean relief for 25,000 tea workers in north Bengal, the head of the Duncans Group, GP Goenka, met chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday and promised to reopen 14 tea gardens that had become non-functional since April. No time frame has been given, but Duncans will pay all dues and even open public kitchens for workers suffering from malnutrition.
For many workers, these promises are coming too late. Budi Kojur of Birpara tea garden died on Thursday. The 45-year-old worker was sick and advised to go to a hospital 130 kilometres away. But she couldn't as she got no wages and had no money to travel. So she just stayed home and died there.
Many in Duncan's 14 gardens that suddenly went into limbo eight months ago met the same fate: no wages, no rations, no medicines. 200 have died since October, unions claim, with 10 people dying last week.
Experts and the Opposition sounded an alarm. Sitaram Yechuri of the CPM, said, "These are basically starvation deaths. This is happening and neither the state government nor the Centre is concerned. We have raised this issue in Parliament. We will raise it again."
Anuradha Talwar, Advisor on tea gardens to Supreme Court, said, "The workers are being denied right to wages, health, education and food. They are staring at a serious threat of malnutrition. The state government's reaction has been knee jerk."
The government denies hunger deaths. But on Friday, after the Mamata Banerjee-GP Goenka meet, home secretary Basudev Banerjee admitted malnutrition. "Mr Goenka has promised to open 'langars' (public kitchens) in every tea garden so that the problem of malnutrition that exists is tackled," he said.
Mr Goenka did not say much. "We had a good discussion with the chief minister. It was a very healthy meeting. We will be guided by her in our future action," he said.
To run the gardens, Duncans plans to raise Rs 70 crore by disposing assets and going into joint ventures with government help. Good news, though the fine print is yet to be read.