Kolkata: Denying charges by the Opposition,
the West Bengal government on Tuesday ruled out any starvation
deaths at a closed tea garden of north Bengal`s Dooars region.
"The allegation of four starvation deaths from Dheklapara
is not true. The reports I received from my minister of state,
senior officials and the district magistrate doesn`t reflect
any truth in the allegations," Labour Minister Purnendu Bose
told reporters.
"Such an allegation is politically motivated. We are
opposed to it. Politics on death can`t be accepted, rather we
condemn it," Bose said stating that the state government is
regularly releasing financial assistance to the workers of
Dheklapara tea garden.
"Reliefs are also being distributed among the affected
family on a regular basis in the tea garden, which is under
the process of liquidation," he said.
The state government has rather taken all steps to
prevent starvation deaths in closed tea gardens and similar
such areas, besides providing the workers and their family
members with medical facilities, the minister said.
On allegation of nine deaths in one month, he said
that evidences of deaths were not found in three cases while
cause of death in six cases was found to be various physical
ailments and not starvation.
PTI
