The death of a worker at a tea garden in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district has sparked allegations that the person died of starvation, with a tea garden union and Right to Food Campaign on Wednesday making public a fact finding report on the issue.
Dhani Oraon, 58, a permanent worker at Madhu Tea Garden in the district’s Kalchini block died on February 2, 2024. A five-member fact-finding team of the Paschim Banga Cha Majoor Samity and Right to Food and Work Campaign West Bengal which included two lawyers, took three days to come out with a fact finding report.
Despite being a permanent worker, Dhani Oraon, suffered from severe malnutrition after 7 years of closure of the tea garden. Madhu Tea garden was reopened after 7 years of closure on December 27, 2021.
“He was unable to work due to frequent seizures even after the garden re-opened. With no source of income, and the Government’s ₹1,500 dole of FAWLOI (Financial Assistance to the Workers of Locked Out Industries) stopping after re-opening, Dhani Oraon and his wife Asarani Oraon, who is his sole family member, were reduced to begging from their neighbours for food,” the fact finding report made public at Siliguri in North Bengal said.
After visiting the residence of a deceased tea garden worker the members of the fact-finding team found Asarani Oraon to be severely malnourished. The team ascertained her BMI to be 12 kg/m2. According to the World Health Organization, “a BMI <16.0 is known to be associated with a markedly increased risk for ill-health, poor physical performance, lethargy and even death.”
Dhani Oraon and his wife Asarani Oraon had an Antodaya Anna Yojana Card, which entitles them to 35 kgs of free food grains per month. Members of the fact-finding team pointed out that after the the Central Government made Aadhar linking mandatory, the family was unable to do this and they have been unable to withdraw rations for the past 2-3 years.
“The records of the Fair Price shop and that of the Food and Supply Department showed cancelled and/or deactivated cards for the past two years and showed no history of transaction, but mysteriously, the Joint BDO informed that his records showed lifting of rations till September 2023,” the report pointed.
Purbayan Chakraborty, an advocate and a member of the fact finding team said that the death was due lapses both on the part of Union government and the State government as which the mandatory Aadhar linkage proved to challenge to the family, the Tea garden management neglected the entire population and did not discharge its statutory obligations of providing health care, housing, timely wages, provident fund access and deposit etc.
The fact-finding report indicated they reached out to Joint BDO and ADM (L&R) and the administration was informed of the death by the team.
“Subsequently, 48 kgs of foodgrains have been given to the widow and last night she was taken for admission to the local PHS by the State Government. There has been no inspection carried out by the Assistant Labour Commissioner for the last few years as well,” the report pointed out. The Hindu tried to reach Joint BDO, Kalchini and ADM (L&R) but there was no response from the officials.
Anuradha Talwar, who is associated with both the tea garden workers union and Right to Food and Work campaign said that last year has been very bad for the tea industry and its reflection on the tea garden workers.
“These gardens (like Madhu Tea Estate) are sick and abandoned tea gardens and the State government is handing over them to those operators who are willing to open the gardens. There is no hand-holding. The transition from closed to open gardens is difficult for the workers,” Ms. Talwar said, pointing out that the Dhani Oraon death is a reflection of that transition.
