Tea Plantations Of North Bengal Are On The Path Of Revival For Economic Stability

To improve economic stability, the state government of Bengal intends to revive closed tea plantations in North Bengal. In order to guarantee efficiency and accountability, the strategy calls for leasing plantation land to new owners or businesses for short-term management under the direction of a thorough Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

New System To Revive North Bengal’s Tea Plantations

In a step to revive North Bengal’s tea plantations, government directives have been issued, and stakeholders in the tea sector, such as employees and community leaders, have responded favourably to the action, seeing it as a major turning point. Tea gardens can now be leased and managed in a systematic way thanks to the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

Organisations must register with the government, have at least a year of experience, and deposit a security deposit before they may take over tea garden operations. Through an open tender process, the gardens will be leased for a period of one year.

The new approach seeks to protect workers’ livelihoods, prevent tea estate closures, and provide steady revenue for the state treasury. If performance is satisfactory, it may result in a three-year extension of the lease and a possible 30-year long-term lease. The initiative is anticipated to benefit about 20 abandoned tea gardens between Alipurduar and Darjeeling.

Also Read: Pune: From Free Tea & Cream Rolls To Rickshaw Rides, Local Residents And Businesses Offer Freebies To Encourage Voters

Reactions To This Initiative

Workers’ unions and tea plantation owners have applauded the move to reopen closed gardens in tea plantations. Chinmay Dhar, the North Bengal chairman of the Indian Tea Association, said it is a step in a positive direction for the sector, as reported by Kalimpong Online News.

The government’s move has been hailed as “historic” by the Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU), as reported by Kalimpong Online News. People are hoping that this initiative will help to strengthen the tea industry’s financial standing.

The need for tea garden owners to strictly adhere to the SOP is stressed by Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik, who also said that the government’s move is generally praised and that non-compliance could result in stern action.

Also Read: 7 Forest Adventures To Do In North Bengal For Christmas Vacay

Gardens with expired leases, such as Redbank and Dharanipur in Jalpaiguri and Rongmook Ceder in Darjeeling, may be reclaimed under this updated framework.

Cover Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons