NBU may soon have a tea garden, factory for tea students

MANAS R BANNERJEE, SNS, SILIGURI. 10 APRIL 2022 : With a view to providing students and scholars of the Department of Tea Science a "complete study package", the North Bengal University (NBU) in Siliguri is now planning to set up a tea factory in its tea plantation area in the campus itself. The idea is to mainly provide practical knowledge of tea and tea-making to students, NBU officials have said.

Talking to this correspondent, Vice Chancellor of the NBU, Prof Subiresh Bhattacharyya, said the University has plans to set up such a tea factory after recovering a plot of land, which, he said, is presently illegally occupied by a local planter.

"We have decided not to renew the agreement with the planter, who has failed to pay the University as per the agreement. The 20 -year lease agreement expired recently. As I found that the huge amount of payment. as per the agreement, is pending since many years, authorities have finally decided not to renew the agreement," Prof Bhattacharyya said.

According to him, the planter has, however, knocked a tribunal's doors. "After we refused to renew the agreement, the planter has appealed before the tribunal. Significantly the tribunal has set aside their appeal and to resolve the dispute, a one-man committee headed by Justice Jyotirmoy Bhattacharjee was constituted. Hopefully the verdict will come soon, and in our favour," Prof Bhattacharyya said.

According to him, a total of 50 acres of land had been leased out. "However, we have detected that apart from the 50 acres, almost 17 acres of land has been illegally occupied. A total of nearly (37 acres of land will be available," he said.

"That land is required for the University. The planter can take back the tea bushes.

The University will prepare a tea plantation and set up a tea factory for students of the Department of Tea Science, who presently have to visit different tea gardens for their practical knowledge about tea manufacturing. If the plan works out, they will do their practical study thoroughly in their own campus now," Prof Bhattacharyya said, adding that the NBU will also be able to earn revenue by setting up such a plantation and factory.

According to Associate Professor Dr Chandra Ghosh, the Department of Tea Science at the NBU is the only department approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in the country It was established in 1995 with a professional course in Tea Management on self financing basis and then was developed to provide M.Sc. Degree in 2010, official sources said.

According to NBU's official website, the Department of Tea Science has a Tea Board-approved soil analysis laboratory to conduct research and development work in the subject so as to meet the scientific needs of the tea industry to improve the level of production.