Four inspectors to monitor tea estates' situation in hills, plains

Prashant Acharya, EOI, Siliuri, 6 July 2017: The Chairman of the Tea Directorate Advisory Council, Minister Goutam Deb held a meeting with the Council’s Additional Director Dipap Priya P and various other officials here in Siliguri to address the issues being faced by the tea estates of the region.

The meeting decided to appoint inspectors to monitor the ongoing situations faced by the tea industry due to unrest in hill and some parts of Terai and Dooars.

“Four inspectors will be appointed to monitor the tea-estates and take care of the workers’ needs,” said Deb after the meeting.

He also informed that a meeting is slated on July 10 at Siliguri’s State Guest House to discuss the situation of tea-estates with the District Magistrates and Chief Medical Officer of Health of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar. Similarly, a meeting will take place on July 15 to review the situation with tea plantation managers of Doaars, Terai and other hill areas.

Another meeting has been scheduled for July 17, where all tea-labour’s organizations will come together. On July 24, the high-level officials of the tea board will be coming together in Kolkata.

He said, ‘Darjeeling’s tea industry has suffered crores of loss since the tea estates have suspended all their operations due to the indefinite strike that has been effective in the hills. The adverse affect of the GJM-called indefinite strike for the demand of Gorkhaland is not just limited to the common people and daily lives. It has also had an impact on the industry of the world-famous Darjeeling tea.”

There are 87 tea estates that contribute to Darjeeling’s tea industry. Currently, all of them are non-functional. The leaves have not been plucked and the factories are closed ever since the strike was declared.