Mitra Chowdhury at the meeting. A Telegraph picture

Siliguri, May 24: The National Legal Services Authority (Nalsa) will try to involve senior members of the judiciary in its attempt to form a countrywide consensus on the plight of tea garden workers.

National adviser to the legal-aid forum Sreerupa Mitra Choudhury said this at a meeting here today. She returned to town yesterday after an 18-day recce of closed and sick tea estates in the Dooars including Bharnobari, Kalchini, Raimatang, Raipur, Ramjhora and Shikarpur-Bhandapur.

“We are into the process of enumerating the complaints of residents from closed tea gardens. Public hearings have already been conducted at our centre here and also at Ramjhora — one of the worst affected estates. More than 550 people made their submissions there,” Mitra Choudhury said. “Similar hearings will soon be conducted at Kanthalguri. The primary reason for the suffering, as we see it, stems from the inability to access the judicial system and the law-enforcing agencies.”

Mitra Chowdhury said she would submit a report on the condition of the gardens to the prime minister and the chief justice of India. Issues like rehabilitation of workers, the status of the gardens and the overall plight of residents would find a prominent place in the report, she added.

“We have come to know that Rs 1,000 crore is likely to flow in for rejuvenation and reopening of the closed tea estates,” the adviser said. “We suggest that a portion of this fund be spent on the rehabilitation of the workers.”

Mitra Choudhury said the non-implementation of existing welfare schemes could be attributed to a communication gap between the executive agencies and the workers.

“There are chances that members of the judiciary, including the chief justice of India, justices of the Supreme Court and the chief justices of different high courts would visit the tea gardens after my report is submitted,” she said.