The Alipurduar administration held a meeting at the collectorate on Friday with management representatives of 20 tea estates in the district to take stock of the situation in the gardens affected by flash floods earlier this month.
R. Vimala, the district magistrate, Y. Raghuvamshi, the superintendent of police, and other senior officials were present at the meeting.
The district magistrate emphasised the need for the tea garden managements to undertake more proactive and visible welfare activities for their workers.
“She encouraged the tea estates to extend support even beyond their own boundaries. She said that if a particular garden does not require immediate welfare interventions, the management should contribute to adjacent gardens in need,” said a source privy to the meeting.
The administration, sources said, has also acted on the direction of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and has completed a survey of a high ground at Subhashini tea estate in the Kalchini block.
“The survey has been carried out to relocate 36 families from the flood-prone Nadi Line of the garden. They were among the worst affected during recent flash floods as the Torsha river changed its course,” the source added.
Speaking to reporters, Vimala confirmed that the survey had been done.
“All 36 families will be shifted to higher ground, and under the ‘Banglar Bari’ scheme, each family will receive ₹1.2 lakh to build a new house. Once the report is finalised and sent to the state government, the funds will be released promptly,” she said.
They have also been handed over new ration cards as they had lost them due to
the floods.
The administration, sources said, is also gathering details of damage caused by the flood in the tea estates.
“More meetings would be held in due course to address the concerned issues,” said
an official.
Document distribution
The administration in Alipurduar has also initiated the process of distributing important documents and identity proofs to people who have lost them in the recent natural calamity.
In Salkumarhat under Alipurduar-I block, a special camp was opened on Thursday, where such documents were handed over to people.
Earlier, the district police had organised a camp where affected individuals had filed general diary entries detailing the vital documents such as voter cards, ration cards, birth certificates, land documents, and documents of social welfare schemes.
On October 12, during a review meeting, Mamata had appreciated the initiative and had directed the district magistrate to ensure that these essential documents are reissued and delivered to the affected individuals without delay.
The administration began distributing duplicate documents just five days after the review meeting. The move has come as a relief for many people who had lost all proof of identity and entitlement.
“We managed to prepare duplicates of the essential documents within just four days and started distributing them yesterday. It was a challenging task as most beneficiaries did not even have photocopies of their original documents. The process will continue,”
said Vimala.