New Director of Cinchona plantation appointed... DCOMP under shambles

KalimNews, Kalimpong, 10 November 2013: Dr. Samuel Rai, Programme coordinator of Darjeeling Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya has been appointed as the Director, Directorate of Cinchona and other medicinal plants under the department of Food processing Industries and Horticulture.

He is the successor of Dr. G.C. Subba who had been serving as the Director of the department since 2008. 

Dr. Rai has done B.Sc Ag from Allahbad University and done M.Sc in Genetics and plant breeding from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya Mohanpur. He obtained his Ph.D Degree in Botany from Utkal university of Orissa in 2001. 

He worked in the cytogenetics division of the Regional Plant Resource Centre Bhuwaneshwar for the research on Ginger and wild species of Ginger. 

He served in the administrative posts of Uttar Banga Krishi Vidyalaya Center for the last 16 years. He has 84 research papers in national and internal journals and seven books on his credit. 
DOCMP is under the GTA and looked after by Food Processing Industries & Horticulture Department and has four plantation divisions located in Mungpoo, Munsong, Latpanchar and Rongo.
Dr. Rai joined on 8th November, confirmed a GTA administrative source.

DCOMP under shambles

Debasis Sarkar, ET: Directorate of Cinchona and Other Medicinal Plant(DCOMP), the premium body that used to serve the whole country with cinchona tree bark to produce anti malarial drug Quinine, is gradually getting deep into darker region with its already accumulated loss of over Rs 500 crore, annual expense of around Rs 25 crore and practically no income.

Kalimpong Krishak Kalyan Sangstha, a Darjeeling hills based organization has now demanded world heritage status for the plantation that is even older than world Heritage Darjeeling Toy Train.

"I support the demand. But, proper rehabilitation and modernization of the organization is more important," said octogenarian B Chetri, ex worker for DCOMP.

The plantation was first established at an altitude of 2,000 - 4000 ft in Darjeeling hills in the year 1862 to produce anti malarial Quinine from the barks of Cinchona trees. Gradually, it became economic backbone of hills. But following introduction of synthetic quinine in '70s, it started facing dark era. DCOMP started developing other medicinal plants like Dioscorea to produce steroids, Ipecac to produce antidiarrhoeal medicine and finally Taxus baccata, to produce anti cancer 'Taxol.' A high tech factory to prepare steroid was also commissioned in 1994 on turn-key basis by Regional Research Laboratory, Jammu (RRL).

But none of those succeeded. DCOMP was handed over to Department of Department of Food Processing Industry from Department of Industry and Commerce in 2006.

"Proper management of any one of these alternate medicines could have saved the organization," said technical experts.

The former left ruled West Bengal State Government decided to lease out 8270 acre of land but could not finalize any taker. It also prepared revival package for the organization. "I shall bring Cinchona plantation back to its glory," promised the CM of present government Miss Mamata Banerjee. But nothing could show any ground level positive sign.