Bengal Assembly Standing Committee calls for tea garden takeover

Kolkata, July 24 (UNI) With the tea industry passing through a grave crisis, a Standing Committee of the West Bengal Assembly has recommended takeover of all the tea gardens by the Centre.

In its report, submitted to the Assembly, the Standing Committee on Commerce and Industries and Industrial Reconstruction and Public Enterprises also urged the state government to ensure that nobody died of hunger in the area.

'' It is time that the state Government extends all possible help to the Centre for taking over all the tea gardens for reopening of the 14 closed units keeping in mind that 18,000 workers have been thrown out of job,'' Standing Committee Chairman Sudip Bandopadhyay told a press conference.

The Committee, that made spot visit to the tea garden areas of North Bengal, was of the view that the proposed takeover was possible under the provisions of the existing Tea Amendment Act, 1953.

Stating that West Bengal was the second largest tea-growing state in the country, contributing about 26 per cent of the total tea manufactured, the Standing Committee observed that the industry continued to be a source of concern despite various remedial measures as suggested by the previous Assembly Committee and the state government's high-power committee.

While recommending replantation of the age-old tea bushes as the most important task, the Committee observed that the tea industries should work unitedly in close cooperation with the Tea Board, the centre and the state Government with an outlook to protect the living and working condition of the workers.

Mr Bandopadhyay said the Committee had stumbled on the fact that not even 50 per cent of the Rs 33 crore, alloted in the last fiscal by different state government departments for the closed tea garden workers, had reached the recipients.

'' It seems that there is some corruption at some level. The Government should ensure proper monitoring, supervision and vigilance of the whole process,'' he said.

UNI