Jalpaiguri, May 30: The season of sleepless nights is upon the planters once again.

Owners of more than 30 estates — including Manabari, Turturi, Kohinoor, Nepuchapur, Newlands, Palashbari, Madhu, Bhatpara and Bhatkhawa — are taking stock of losses after labour lines were flooded and culverts washed away by two weeks of rain.

Even up to a month ago, planters in the region were fervently praying for rain to end the drought-like situation that threatened to ruin prospects of a good second flush. Now it is the rain that is endangering the estates.

“The damage done to estates even before the monsoon has actually set in, is considerable. We do not know if we can face the full fury of the season,” a planter said.

More than 80 large streams and rivers run through the district and erosion is an annual phenomenon.

Roads leading to estates, labour lines quarters and plantations are all washed away when the rivers break banks each monsoon.

Worried planters’ associations have written to the district administration, the divisional commissioner, the public works department and North Bengal Flood Control Commission.

“We have asked the departments concerned to take steps to ensure that we are saved from the fury of the monsoon,” said N.K. Basu, the principal adviser to Indian Tea Planters’ Association.

Like Basu, Prabir Bhattacharya, the secretary of the Dooars Branch of Indian tea Association is also in correspondence with the administrative officials of Alipurduar.

The flood control commission said it did not have funds to prevent floods.