Centre mulling package for closed tea gardens: Jairam

Kochi, Apr 21 (UNI) The Centre is considering Rs 60 crore package for the 33 closed tea gardens in the country even as Kerala takes the lead in reviving the sector with nine closed tea gardens in the state due to reopen on May 25, Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh said today.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Ramesh said the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) is due to consider the revival package entailing a commitment of Rs 60 crore over the next five years.

''This is a reasonable amount and I have assured the owners of the tea gardens, who have come forward to reopen their estates, that I will get the package for them,'' the Minister added.

There were four major components in the proposed package relating to waiver of all dues to the Tea Board; waiver of all penalties on provident fund defaults; financial restructuring of bank loans with conversion of the debts to medium term loans and writing off penalties on overdue interest and interest rate subsidy for a period of five years.

Stating the problem was ''most acute'' in Kerala, Mr Ramesh said that 17 of the 33 closed tea gardens were in the southern state, involving nearly 45,000 families. Most of them had been lying closed for the past five years.West Bengal followed next with 14 closed tea gardens and Assam with two.

Mr Ramesh said following a pathbreaking meeting of the various stakeholders in Thiruvanananthapuram on April four, including the state labour minister, tea garden owners, bankers and trade union leaders, the first closed tea garden in the state, 'Bonaccord Estate' in Thiruvananthapuram District, reopened yesterday.

The RBT Group, which owns nine tea gardens, had assured that all of them would be reopened on May 25. The Peermede Group, which owns two gardens, had said these would be reopened in the second week of June.

''The reopening of the Bonaccord Estate is a big step forward,'' the Minister said.

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