New owner for Kohinoor estate

TT, Alipurduar: The director of the abandoned Kohinoor tea estate has written to the Alipurduar district magistrate, saying the garden would be handed over to Khayerbari Tea Company and seeking administrative help to carry out necessary formalities.

The Kohinoor garden had been abandoned by the management on September 17 following a labour unrest. The estate has 888 permanent workers who are jobless now.

After the abandonment, a nationalised bank, from which the garden's management had taken loan, served a notice, mentioning the seizure of the estate as around Rs 40 crore had accumulated.

"The director has sought the administration's help to finish all necessary formalities and said he intends to finish the sale process early," said an official.

D.P. Karanam, the district magistrate of Alipurduar, said the entrepreneur interested in taking over Kohinoor, would meet him on Tuesday. #"We need to discuss and verify certain issues. Management can be changed only after all necessary procedures are followed," said the DM.