Dooras: The Land of ‘Four Ts’ of India

The Dooras is in the foothills of the Himalayas and initiated the tea gardens (TG) plantation during the 1880s. As a low-cost, non-alcoholic, stimulating beverage, tea is popular in household daily consumption with a vast market potential for its therapeutic and ethnobotany properties. The Mangalbari village in Matiali block in Jalpaiguri district within Dooras areas of North Bengal is popular for its tea, timber, tourism, and tribals. They have a unique socio-economic outline and livelihood pattern. Emphasis is given to women workers which constitute a very high share.

The methodology combines primary and secondary data from the field, past literature, government reports, and old topological sheets from the Survey of India. The entire data set is compiled, presented through tables and graphs, and picturised through GIS/RS data for map generation, of the Dooras area, like land use and land cover (LULC) maps, including Jalpaiguri, Matiali, and Mangalpur. Causes are deliberated, and ameliorating measures are discussed.

The key findings are that Matiali Fan is geologically active. Climate change-induced tea garden closures have impacts i.e. poverty, increased Human-animal conflict, increased illicit felling of wood offence reports, and drowning of backward class socioeconomic status. The suggestive management plans include constant government assistance, Education about WASH, women empowerment strategies (SDG-5), public-private partnerships, and NGO interventions that can address existing problems.