Bagdogra: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday visited three closed/ ailing tea gardens in north Bengal to assess the condition of the workers and their families.
She went to Bandapani, Birpara and Denguabari tea gardens and interacted with workers and their relatives.
The minister visited labourers’ quarters amid a series of reports coming from the north Bengal districts of malnutrition-related deaths of several workers and their kin in the tea gardens of the region.
Earlier in the morning, Sitharaman reached Bagdogra on a three-day north Bengal tour.
She will be visiting Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts.
In Siliguri, Sitharaman will hold a review meeting to assess the gravity of the situation, where representatives of estate managements, workers’ leaders and the state administration have been invited to attend. (ANI)