Closure of tea plantations in West Bengal has taken a heavy toll on workers in the gardens.
According to a committee formed by the Supreme Court to probe into the deaths in tea gardens, at least 150 people have died of malnutrition in West Bengal in the past year after the closure of scores of plantations.
So many deaths in one period from chronic malnutrition has not been seen in any other organised sector before, Anuradha Talwar, advisor from Bengal to the food commissioner of the Supreme Court, told mediapersons.
At least 16 plantations in Alipurduar region in West Bengal were shut down a few years ago after production fell
and profits plummeted due to low yields from ageing tea bushes.
The Supreme Court has been investigating deaths at the plantations after several petitions were filed before it.
More than 15,000 workers in West Bengal have been struggling to survive without any alternative means of livelihood and have depending on rats, wild plants and flowers for food, Talwar said.
"It was appalling to find how the world's largest tea producer treats its workers," Talwar, who is due to submit her report to the Supreme Court, told mediapersons in Kolkata.
In many tea plantations in West Bengal, employers did not pay wages owed to workers following the shutdown.
