Labourer dies at tea garden due to unavailability of ambulance; state BJP supremo alleges negligence of health dept

A worker died due to lack of treatment as no ambulance was available to take him to the local hospital. Opposition BJP leaders alleged that North Bengal is being deprived of basic amenities.

Jalpaiguri:Allegations flew thick and fast about the death of a labourer at a closed tea garden due to the unavailability of ambulances in Alipurduar on Saturday. The deceased has been identified as Sushil Ora. State opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief whip Manoj Tigga alleged. Adhikari took the health department to task over the death of the worker in the closed Dhekala Para tea garden in Alipurduar.

Tigga, MLA of Madarihat Birpara in Alipurduar, said that the labourer died without treatment in his area. He complained to the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wandering around Jalpaiguri in Alipurduar, Darjeeling, but being indifferent towards the agonies of the tea garden residents.

Tigga alleged that the CM has never enquired about the workers of the closed tea gardens and their situation. Several tea gardens, including Ramjhora, Lanka Para, Dhekala Para, and Samsing in Alipurduar have been shut down, he said. "The CM, accompanied by 80 doctors attended her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee's wedding and stayed in an expensive house in Kurseong that cost Rs 1.2 lakhs. The poor worker died because he could not find an ambulance to be taken to the Birpara State General Hospital. I visited his house today and promised to stand by them. I simply had no words to express my condolences to his family," Tigga said.

Suvendu Adhikari claimed that North Bengal is being deprived of resources by the CM. "It is true. You cannot even ask for an ambulance here. If we come to power, we will prioritise North Bengal because this region has blessed us in 2021 and 2019," Adhikari said.

The worker's family complained that they had called for an ambulance to admit Ora to the Birpara State General Hospital, but the vehicle was not available.

As the garden was closed, they could not afford to rent a car and take Orao to hospital. Swapan Samjar, a resident at the Dheklapara Tea Garden, said that the workers' families are facing extreme financial constraints due to the closure of the Dheklapara Tea Garden. The workers are deprived of basic medicines now. Birpara Rajya State General Hospital Superintendent Dr Kaushik Garai said that the hospital's ambulance is not functional.