Siliguri, Feb. 25: The Jalpaiguri district administration has served showcause notice on six closed tea gardens in the Dooars for denying basic rights to the labourers and directly contributing to the deterioration of their living conditions.

The Union minister of state for commerce and industry, Jairam Ramesh, said the owners would have one month to reply. If they fail to do so, or if their responses do not satisfy the administration, then their leases may be cancelled.

“It will be the first step to invoking Section 16(E) of the tea act, paving the way for the Centre to hand the gardens over to new owners,” said Ramesh.

The owners of Shikarpur and Bhandapur, Raipur, Samsing, Bharnobari, Kalchini and Raimatang were served the notice last week. The notice said the owners have “….failed to supply medicines/drugs and maintain supply of electricity, drinking water and wages etc. to the workers which may be considered as denial of basic rights ... and also lead to serious deterioration of their living conditions, exposing them to disease and morbidity.”

The district magistrate has also charged the owners for not paying their annual lease rent and cess, thus violating the deed signed with the Bengal land and land reforms department (see chart). The lease is for 30 years.

“The notice has been drafted on the basis of information collected from the district intelligence branch and the district labour office,” a senior administrative official said.

Trade union leaders welcomed the move. “Finally, the district administration has acknowledged that the owners had failed to provide basic facilities to workers,” said Chitta Dey, the convener of the Coordination Committee of Tea Plantation Workers.

The owners who have been served the notice could not be contacted. Other planters, however, felt that the administration may still hold dialogues with the current owners before it takes over the gardens.