Bista push on cinchona wing

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 13 September 2019,  Darjeeling: Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista has "challenged" the state government to hand over to the Centre the loss-making cinchona and other medicinal plantations directorate.

Bista had on Tuesday visited Mungpoo, the headquarters of the cinchona plantation and held a meeting.

After his visit, Bista wrote on Facebook "If West Bengal government is unable to run Cinchona bagan in profit, I challenge them to hand these over to the Central Government, we will show how to properly manage an asset like our Cinchona plantations.

The cinchona and other medicinal plantation directorate is the largest public sector undertaking in the hills and provides direct and indirect sustenance to more than 40,000 people in the hills.

A few years ago, the annual loss by the directorate was pegged at more than Rs 20 crore.

"Mungpoo is one of the historic places in India, which helped in combating Malaria for the longest time. With proper management and marketing, Mungpoo and related Cinchona producing regions like Rongo, Sitong-Latpanchar, Munsong would have gone onto become a medicinal plant hub in India," said Bista.

The Darjeeling MP also alleged that there was a conspiracy to hand over cinchona land to private players "close to TMC".

Almost a decade back a small portion of land was handed over the NHPC. The Darjeeling Hills University is also coming up in cinchona land.

"That potential still exists today, but there is a conspiracy to ensure Mungpoo and other Cinchona producing places run in loss, so that the West Bengal government can hand over the land to private players close to TMC," said Bista. "We won't let that happen. I will work together with the people of Cinchona bagan, and ensure that we transform our place.

The cinchona plantation was started in Mungpoo in 1862 and over the years the plantation was extended to Munsong in 1900, Rongo (1938) and Latpanchar in 1943. The cinchona plantation is spread over an area of 26,000 acres across Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts.

While the plantation primarily started with plantation of cinchona ­ quinine is extracted from the barks of cinchona and is used for medicines to cure malaria, the plantation also diversified into other medicinal plants like discorea and taxus baccata.

Many said that production of cheap quinine from other countries lead to the decline of supply from this hill plantation.

The directorate which is under the state horticulture department is also experimenting by growing cash crops like rubber, cardamom and oranges among others but the fortunes of the plantation have not yet turned.