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Centre gives Rs 57 cr to Dooars tea gardens; will find new buyersBy Unregistered Visitors, Section News
Union Minister of state for commerce and industries Jairam Ramesh announced on Friday that the Centre will give Rs 57 crore to sick tea gardens in the Dooars region.
Ramesh, who is touring North Bengal to assess the status of sick gardens, announced a committee that will decide the new buyers for these gardens. The committee will be represented by members of the Tea Board, the state government and the Centre. It is understood that the committee has been formed to ensure transparency in the process of finding owners. According to Ramesh, most existing owners have failed to run the gardens efficiently. Basudeb Banerjee, chairman of the Tea Board, said the board will soon send a proposal to the state government on this. "Some owners should be arrested for the way they have run down gardens. We are looking for bigger and established groups who are interested in operating gardens professionally," he added.
The central government has decided to take over the management of most sick gardens under section 16(D) or 16(E) and subsequently hand them over to interested parties. The Centre and the Tea Board believe a committee is required to choose the buyers.
Banerjee did not want to specify the number of gardens where the takeover clauses will be invoked. Sources said around nine out of 13 closed gardens might go up for sale. For closed tea gardens, the board and the central government plan to find buyers who are in the tea business and have deep pockets. Industry sources said Goodricke is interested in buying one of the gardens. Ramesh said: "There is no shortage of buyers but we have to be selective." In Jalpaiguri, Ramesh along with External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, launched the special purpose tea fund (SPTA) for North Bengal tea gardens. The SPTA has already been launched in Assam. Forty-five eligible tea gardens in North Bengal will get Rs 10.7 crore as loan in the first phase and subsidy for rejuvenation and replantation of tea bushes. Last week, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee visited tea gardens in North Bengal and announced a series of programmes to draw attention to the plight of workers in sick gardens.
Centre gives Rs 57 cr to Dooars tea gardens; will find new buyers | 0 comments ( topical, 0 hidden)
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