For the second time in the past two days, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee warned the tea gardens owners of north Bengal that the State government would take over these plantations if they cannot administer them properly.
“We will help those who are running tea gardens properly. But those owners who cannot run these gardens should hand them over to us,” she said addressing a public gathering.
Ms. Banerjee had said on Monday that the tea garden owners should not betray the workers.
“If you have a tea garden and if can’t run it, tell us. The State government will take over or will give it to someone else,” she had said.
The remarks of Chief Minister who is touring north Bengal come in the wake of a number of deaths reported in some tea gardens abandoned by their owners in north Bengal.
Non-payment of wagesA case of alleged non-payment of wages in the tea garden has also been lodged by the Criminal Investigation Department against Duncan Industries in north Bengal.
Though the administration denied that the deaths are due to starvation, it admitted that due to abandonment of the gardens, the workers are under stress.
