With corrections and change in slug

Kolkata, June 14 (UNI) The Centre will reopen four tea gardens out of the total 14, closed in West Bengal, by mid of next month.

Speaking to mediapersons here today, Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh said, ''Dharnobari and Red bank tea estate will be opened on June 29.'' The owner of Dharnobari estate would approach Allahabad Bank in a week and the District Magistrate of Jalpaiguri would conduct an inquiry into the financial mismanagement as alleged by the tea estate trade union.

There are 1,856 workers in Dharnobari estate, spread around 725 hectares, and the 368 hectares Red Bank tea estate has a total of 881 workers.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee along with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya would be present on the reopening day.

Mr Ramesh said the two other tea gardens, Kalchini and Raimatown would be reopened on July 16.

A liquidation case had been filed in Calcutta High Court. Tea Board Chairman Basudeb Banerjee have met the owners of these two gardens and had asked the current owner to make an appeal in the Calcutta High Court for the revival package being worked out by the Centre.

Mr Ramesh said, ''Not much progress has been made in connection with the other tea gardens.'' Chamruchi gardens would be run by the workers coperative, he said.

The Raipur and Sikharpur-Bandapur tea estate would be reopened under Sec 16 D of the Tea Board Act, under which the board can handover the estate to a new owner.

The board would had also hold discussions with the banks and owners of Chinchula, Samsingh, Bamandonga and Tondoo tea estates.

UNI