The Alipurduar district administration gave away three ambulances to as many tea gardens in the district on Tuesday to ensure that people in and around these gardens get the service during emergency medical needs.

The service, sources said, will benefit at least 15,000 people in the district.

In September last year, Trinamul MP and party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee announced the state government would take a series of initiatives for the tea population of north Bengal.

Among the new services he had announced were new healthcare centres, ambulance services and crèches in tea gardens.

Surendra Kumar Meena, the district magistrate, handed over the air-conditioned ambulances to management representatives of Garganda, Dhumchipara and Tulshipara tea estates, all located in Madarihat block.

“We handed over the ambulances, each of which costs Rs 9 lakh. The maintenance of these vehicles would be jointly borne by the local panchayat samiti and the management of the gardens concerned. The idea is to ensure any resident of these gardens is shifted to the nearest health centre at the earliest for treatment,” said Meena.

The gardens to which the ambulances were provided were earlier owned by Duncan's Group. In 2018, Merico Group took charge and has been running the gardens.

“For the past four-five years, there was no ambulance service in these gardens. Patients had to face problems reaching to their nearby health centre or the state general hospital in Birpara. In case of emergency, patients were carried by the manager’s vehicle,” said a source.

The initiative to provide ambulances in tea estates is being seen as one of Trinamul’s strategies to reach out to the garden population. Most tea residents backed the BJP in the last Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

“Extending healthcare facilities to the tea population can bring political dividends for Trinamul,” said an observer.

Sources in the administration said 42 health centres and 72 crèches will be built in the tea gardens of the district.

Representatives of Merico Group welcomed the initiative.

“Our company is facing a fund crunch as we had to infuse money after taking charge of abandoned gardens. It is good that at such a time the administration has provided the ambulances to us,” said Surajit Bakshi, the director of Merico Group.