SME Times News Bureau | 04 Jan, 2016
Taking stock of the situation of
closed tea gardens and the plight of workers in northern West Bengal,
union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday
assured suitable steps by the central government.
"We are
taking stock of the situation and discussing the issue with the
stakeholders and the workers. Everyone is playing their role and we are
trying to solve the issue," Sitharaman told media persons in Siliguri.
Over
a dozen tea estates belonging mostly to the Duncan Group of Industries
are closed leaving several thousand workers in deep distress. Many
deaths allegedly due to malnutrition or starvation have also been
reported from some of the estates located in Dooars and Terai regions.
While
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her recent visit to the region
had blamed the "Centre's indifference" for the grim situation in the tea
gardens, Sitharaman asserted the union government's commitment towards
solving the issue.
"I have come here twice within one and half
year that I have been in the commerce ministry, does that mean the
central government has no interest," she said, assuring necessary steps
to ensure the closed tea estates are reopened.
While the state
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has initiated investigation
against the Duncan Group over allegations of nonpayment of wages to
workers of their tea estate, a public interest litigation has also been
field before the Calcutta High Court seeking government intervention in
the matter.
