Kolkata: The picturesque tea estates of North Bengal are now home to the most gruesome story in India – people starving to death.

Nearly 100 people who were living on five defunct tea gardens have reportedly died since January this year, with 10 deaths reported this month alone.

“Nearly 100 people have died mostly due to starvation, as many more are emaciated and susceptible to disease and death,” said Mohammad Azhar, coordinator of Godhulibazar North East Society for Empowerment of Public, an NGO working in the tea belt of Bengal.

“Diseases like tuberculosis, malaria, and fungal diseases are rampant and are the primary killers. There is no electricity, drinking water connectivity, or any facilities. There is no supply of food. The quality of rations supplied by the government is unfit for human consumption. Though there are few health centres, there is no supply of medicine and it is becoming worse every passing day,” added Azhar.

Over the past 15 years, more than 1,000 people have died in the area, as more tea gardens are closed.

Two more gardens in Jalpaiguri have been shut: Surendranagar and Dharanipur. In the adjoining Alipurduar district, two gardens — Dheklapara TE and Bandapani — had already been shut for years.

These five gardens account for nearly 15,000 workers and 45,000 dependants.

The companies that own the tea gardens closed them, claiming they were running huge losses. The workers have very little rights as they are mostly contractual labours working on hourly basis. Land title is complicated as the whole issue of ownership is stuck in various acts.

Doctors though admit of high levels of malnutrition amongst the “tea tribes” in the area.

“Most of the labourers are suffering from malnutrition. But they do not have the money to buy food, let alone medicines,” said a doctor at the health centre.

Meanwhile, the Mamata Banerjee-led state government, which refuses to admit the deaths are due to starving, has finally started to work on a relief package for the workers.

A co-ordination committee has been set up to monitor the situation in the closed and sick tea gardens.

This stop-gap arrangement aside, the biggest issue ailing the tea gardens is wages, which are way below the minimum wage in the state, leading to mass migration of workers and more worryingly trafficking of women and children.

Thousands of women and children have fallen prey to touts who lure them with promises of ways to escape poverty.

Meanwhile, there has been no breakthrough in talks over new wages. The workers want nothing less than minimum wages of Rs206. But plantatation owners remain defiant, asking the government to bear the cost of housing, ration and electricity instead. Workers are paid Rs90 (Dh5) for an eight hour-day to produce the expensive Darjeeling tea. In Terai and Doars, it is Rs95 rupees day.

The Tea Board chairman Siddharth also denied reports of the deaths.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, “Our information suggests that a majority of these deaths were natural ones.”

Though he did admit of legal issues that is stopping the opening of the tea gardens under new management.

“We can explore the possibility of handing over to the new management, but the Tea Act is silent on it. Unless there legal loopholes are plugged, it will be difficult to find a new owners for these gardens,” he added.

Presently, the tea industry is governed by two legislations — The Tea Act, 1953, and the Plantation Labour Act 1951.