Six tea estate workers die of malnutrition in Bengal

Kolkata, June 28 (IANS) 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 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 Friday but was cremated only 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.

Following the report of the deaths, North Bengal Development Minister Gautam Deb will be visiting the tea estate Sunday.

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.

"The government should take immediate steps to ensure all the closed tea estates are reopened and the workers are rehabilitated. Beside Rs. 10 lakh should be provided to the families of the victims as compensation," the party said in a statement.