Bengal govt forms GoM for tea industry

The West Bengal government has formed a group of ministers to resolve issues related to the tea sector in the state, said a minister, who is a part of the panel.The committee has been set up to protect the interests of all stakeholders including workers, and to promote tea tourism in the state, Agriculture Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay said on Wednesday.

The West Bengal government has formed a group of ministers to resolve issues related to the tea sector in the state, said a minister, who is a part of the panel.

The committee has been set up to protect the interests of all stakeholders including workers, and to promote tea tourism in the state, Agriculture Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay said on Wednesday. ''They have already held a few meetings and deliberated on various issues pertaining to the tea sector,'' Chattopadhyay told PTI. Asked more about the committee, a senior official said, "We are hopeful of organising an interaction with all the stakeholders of the tea industry. We are looking into areas where the government can intervene and help the sector. '' Speaking at the 49th Biennial General Meeting of the Tea Association of India, West Bengal Land & Land Reforms Department Secretary Smaraki Mahapatra said the state government has started giving 'pattas' (deeds) to garden workers, and also decided to fund their housing. She said the government has also taken over ration, hospital and housing requirements in an effort to support the tea gardens in the state. Mahapatra said garden owners can approach for alternative land to be included in the gardens. ''In Alipurduar, there are meandering rivers, which means many areas under a tea garden have gone inside it, and other areas have emerged. Such pieces of land may be used for tourism,'' she said. Mahapatra added that the West Bengal government is keen to promote tea tourism, which has the potential to become an alternative revenue stream for tea garden owners.