The Hindu Business Line : Jairam Ramesh to discuss reopening of tea gardens

Kolkata June 12 Mr Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister of State for Commerce, is coming to the city on Wednesday to discuss how to expedite the reopening of the closed tea gardens in West Bengal.

Out of 14 closed tea gardens, only one has reopened so far. Two others, Samsing and Bamandanga, are due to reopen on June 29. However, some issues need to be sorted out before these two gardens could be reopened.

Rehabilitation Package

Differences are believed to have surfaced between the Government and the owners of Samsing and Bamandanga tea estates over their reopening. While the owners, it is learnt, are insisting on the granting of the rehabilitation package first, the Government is keen that reopening takes place first and the owners should organise on their own whatever funds to be needed for the start-up operations.

These two gardens together have more than 1,200 hectares and employ more than 3,500 people. The reopening of Redbank (368 hectares), which is under liquidation, was not discussed earlier.

However, its reopening is being explored now and the matter is to come up for review at the Thursday's meeting the Minister will have with the cross-section of tea gardens owners, trade union leaders, tea board officials, bankers and others.

Past Liabilities

The meeting is to also review the acquisition of two estates, Shikarpur-Bhandarpur (295 hectares) and Bharnobari (707 hectares), by new owners as the existing owners do not want to run the gardens any more.

In one case, the new owner wants time to clear past liabilities in instalments and in the case of other, the new owner wants the liability reduced.

The tea board officials have already discussed the matter with the bankers concerned. Hopefully, something concrete will emerge from the Thursday's meeting.

The Minister will review the progress of the reopening of two other tea estates, Raimatang (491 hectares) and Kalchini (742 hectares) due on July 15.

In case of at least one garden, the whereabouts of the owner is not known.

The lease agreement of three other gardens have expired while the owner of another garden too has expressed inability to run it.

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