Top BJP leader from brew belt demands dedicated tea ministry

Guwahati: Tea community leader and state BJP executive committee member Bhagirath Karan has submitted a memorandum to chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma seeking a dedicated ministry at both the Centre and the state level for effective management of the tea industry.
In his memorandum, Karan stated that almost 30 lakh people are directly or indirectly associated with the state’s tea industry but it is faced with a host of problems. He brought to the notice of the chief minister the steep increase in the unregulated sale of tea estates by their respective parental tea companies, which has led to problems for both the government as well as the tea tribes and industry.
“The state government should bring a strong law that would aid in the regulation of such sales of tea estates,” Karan urged in his memorandum.
He added that in various instances, the tea-estate owners have used the government-leased lands for personal and commercial purposes by placing the same as a guarantor for getting loans from banks.
“The money is then invested in proliferation of various other businesses. As a result, many of the tea gardens are now in a dire situation. Such illegal activities are carried out with the involvement of officials in the state revenue department, bankers, and the tea estate owners. This needs to be checked,” he stated in his memorandum.
He further stated in the memorandum, “It is seen that only a meagre 20% of the total tea produced within Assam is sold through public auction. The larger proportion of 80% is done through private entities. At least 75% of the total produce needs to be sold through the public auction window.”
Pertaining to the development and re-establishment of the ailing tea gardens, Karan stated in the memorandum that “the Tea Board of India hasn't done enough in this regard. It lacks a proper list of tea gardens that have availed the benefits of governmental schemes.”