Another death in Red Bank garden

Jalpaiguri: A tea worker of the closed Red Bank tea estate in the Dooars died on Wednesday, allegedly because he could not afford healthcare.
Etowa Oraon, 51, was suffering from jaundice and other liver ailments. He was referred to North Bengal Medical College in Siliguri but his family members could not afford the transport cost. He died in the wee hours of Wednesday.
This is the third case of labour death in Red Bank tea estate in just 10 days.On April 17 two persons - Amar Baraik (45) and Dulari Nayek (65) - had died in this garden due to prolonged malnourishment and died allegedly without proper treatment.
Their family members could not take them to any hospital due to lack of money and resource.
The workers say lack of food and basic amenities have led to the death of over 200 people here but the government acknowledges 78 deaths in the Dooars between September 2015 and January this year.
The Red Bank Tea Estate was taken over by the state government two years ago along with two others of the same group - in Dharanipur and Surendra Nagar. They had been shut for years. So far rthe government has failed to find takers for them.
"The garden is closed for many years. After acquiring the garden, the government has failed to get a new owner. This is more frustrating for the workers," said Victor Basu of Dooars Jagaron, an NGO.