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Santanu Sanyal

Move follows Bengal Govt decision inviting views from owners

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Kolkata Feb. 12 The Indian Tea Association (ITA) will shortly hold a meeting of the owners of West Bengal tea gardens, mostly located in the northern part of the State, to discuss various issues relating to the alternative use of tea garden lands.

This follows the West Bengal Government's decision inviting views of the State's tea sector with specific proposals for crop diversification as a measure of restoration of health of the sector. Dr J.C. Chakraborty, OSD and ex-officio Deputy Secretary to the West Bengal Government, will handle the matter.

The ITA, according to a spokesman, will prepare a comprehensive memorandum on the basis of inputs and suggestions to be received from the garden owners for submission to the State Government at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the Tea Board has appointed the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS) to examine the land laws in West Bengal and Assam to suggest how enabling provisions in the existing laws in the two States could be used to facilitate alternative use of the tea garden lands. The WBNUJS, it is learnt, will shortly firm up its views on the subject.

According to the ITA, certain enabling provisions are required to be put in place. Thus, Section 6(3) of the West Bengal Estates Acquisition Act 1953 should be amended to allow cropping/alternative economic activity in land held as tea garden.

Similarly, the West Bengal Estates Acquisition Rules 1954 should be suitably amended defining "alternative use" specifying coverage area of such cultivation and other applicable conditions. Also, specific provisions permitting alternate-cropping/economic activity should be included in lease agreements.

The ITA flagged the issue of alternative use of tea garden lands in its document, "West Bengal Agenda 2006", emphasising the need for a well defined policy on alternative use as a means to augment income where tea on stand alone basis might not be economically viable.

While tea would remain the core activity, marginal areas within existing grants not suitable for tea could be utilised for alternative cropping such as medicinal or aromatic plants or other high value agricultural activity. There are over 200 tea gardens in the State but how many of them will be ultimately interested in alternative use is difficult to estimate, tea industry sources observe.

More Stories on : Tea | Plantations | West Bengal

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