Garganda (Bengal): On June 29, 2025, in the dilapidated Dukha Line of the Garganda Tea Garden in Alipurduar district of West Bengal, 51-year-old tea worker Gunjan Naik took his last breath. His death certificate, digitally signed by the local registrar, records the end of a life. But it does not record the cause. His widow, Basanti Naik, says that she knows the reason all too well.For several months before his death, Naik’s family survived solely on the statutory ration of 15 kg rice and 20 kg wheat per month. With no wages coming in, they were forced into an impossible trade-off – selling part of their assigned grains in the open market to buy vegetables. As the crisis worsened, even that option collapsed. Meals were reduced to once a day, consisting of boiled rice and salt.Speaking to The Wire, Basanti recounted, “He had fallen ill but had not gone to the doctor because we did not have money for the visit or medicine. He died slowly.”Naik had not been paid wages for four months. Basanti now sits in the crumbling remains of their mud-walled hut, which barely withstands the monsoon rains.Without any income, she has been surviving solely on the support of neighbours and relatives, most of whom are facing the same desperate shortage of food. Her Aadhaar card records her age as 51, but malnutrition makes her look much older.Basanti Naik, 51, the widow of a tea garden worker Gunjan Naik, who died in June 2025 in Garganda tea garden. Basanti looks much older than her age. Photo: By arrangement.The suffering of the Naik family is not an isolated case. A nutritional survey conducted by the Right to Food and Work Campaign (RTFWC) and the Paschim Banga Cha Majoor Samity (PBCMS) as part of a fact-finding report after Naik’s death recorded severe malnutrition among workers.Of the 108 workers surveyed, nearly 38% were undernourished, with 26 individuals (24%) categorised as severely thin with Body Mass Index (BMI) below 17. Another 14% were underweight. The team, which had a doctor, described Garganda as a “site of starvation,” with women and children disproportionately affected.Workers say their ration is not enough to sustain families, especially in the absence of wages.“In our family of 10 members, we get a ration allocated for one – that is 20 kg wheat, 15 kg rice. Nothing else. No pulses, no oil. We can buy sugar for Rs 13.5 kg, but where do we get the money?” asked Sangita Raotia another worker from the same tea garden.‘Acute malnutrition is the underlying driver of this health crisis’The doctor from the research team described a worsening health crisis driven by chronic hunger.“Acute malnutrition is the underlying driver of this health crisis,” the doctor stated, adding that workers with alarming weight loss and low BMI are also developing dangerous complications.“Clinically, we are seeing a disturbing paradox where even relatively young workers, with low BMI and significant weight loss, are suffering from hypertension, resulting in higher instances of cerebrovascular accidents (strokes).”The Wire is not disclosing the name of the doctor because the person works at a state-government-run hospital and is not authorised to speak to the media.In Garganda, access to healthcare is effectively gated by poverty. The estate’s medical facilities have been shut for decades. Although the nearest government hospital provides free medicine, it is located miles away, and workers say they cannot afford train or bus fare without wages. The result is total exclusion from even basic public healthcare.The scale of mortality in the region is also reflected in the Absent, Shifted, and Dead (ASD) list published by the Election Commission of India (ECI). According to this data, while the state average stands at 30 deaths per polling station, the Madarihat block records 50.In the four polling stations located specifically within the tea garden, the average spikes to 80 deaths per station, with a significant number of deaths reported among people under 50.In 2025, employment became sporadic, wages were often withheld, and many were left without work for long stretches, forcing migration as a survival strategy.“My husband was not getting any work. I was working, but not getting paid. He is now working at a restaurant in Kerala,” said Sonika Sahu.“In the last year, we have received salaries for only four months. Even, staff members don’t get our salary. Out of around 1,200 workers, 30% have left the garden and migrated to other states for work,” said Narau Bhujel, a staff member.Merico Agro Industries Private Limited, a relatively unknown entity, took over the management of the Garganda Tea Garden in 2018 as part of a transition following the estate’s abandonment by the Duncans Goenka Group in 2015. The company was incorporated on January 1, 2018, the same year it assumed control of distressed estates in North Bengal.The Wire has reached out to the Additional Labour Commission in charge of the region and Merico Management. This report will be updated if and when they respond.Facilitated by the West Bengal government and labour unions, the family-owned firm entered into bipartite agreements to reopen several ailing Duncans properties, including Garganda, Hantapara, and Dumchipara, with the goal of restoring employment and production. The initial years were relatively smooth, however, since 2023, irregularities have begun. Despite deducting 12% from wages as Provident Fund (PF), the company has not deposited the amount since 2023.‘Stealing workers’ PF contributions’“Merico has been stealing workers’ PF contributions. Its wage payments are often late. Other facilities are almost totally absent in the garden. The impact of all this on people’s lives is heartbreaking. Not only is it resulting in destitution, it has even led to death,” claimed labour activist Anuradha Talwar.For years, the company, has cited an “acute financial crisis” to justify withholding wages. But financial filings for the year ending March 31, 2024 show significant revenue growth.According to data filed with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Merico Agro Industries reported INR 112.4 crore in total revenue, 12% higher than the previous year. Its net profit reportedly rose 70% to Rs 1.9 crore. Its trading arm, Sammelan Tea & Beverages Private Limited, controlled by the same management, also reported sharp growth – 246.63% increase in net profit and 107.43% increase in Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation (EBITDA).In May 2025, PBCMS, a registered trade union not affiliated to any political party, filed 1,720 individual complaints, alleging breach of trust and wage theft. Workers say there has been little response from police or administration.Accommodations of tea garden workers in the dilapidated Dukha Line of the Garganda Tea Garden in Alipurduar, West Bengal. Photo: By arrangementIssues raised before the regional Employees’ Provident Fund Office (EPFO) have not produced meaningful remedial action, while Labour Department officials have allegedly refused to act, citing directions to refer matters to “higher ups.”“The management keeps on false promise of releasing the payments. The labour officials are fully aware of this, yet they don’t take any steps. Neither the local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP or MLA nor the BJP or TMC-affiliated unions take any real-steps to stop distress,” said labour activist Kiran Sarma.Merico has filed a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against activists Talwar, Karma and ten others.In the garden, the next generation is getting ready for harder days. A 13-year-old girl is officially enrolled at the nearby Ramjhora Bazar Hindi High School but stopped attending last year. Her father, employed by the garden, has faced chronic wage irregularities. She is now set to migrate to a city to work as a domestic help.“We liked school. But we need to help our family. I will earn and send money home,” she said.This piece is part one of a two-part series on the plight of tea garden workers in West Bengal.