Tea Board awaits BIFR nod for Duncan tea estates control

West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee today criticised the Centre's for asking the Tea Board to take over the Duncan tea estates without consulting the state government.
The Centre has to take all financial responsibilities and cannot try to act as a scapegoat now, Chatterjee said.
He said the state government had taken steps to provide food and other basic facilities to the workers and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also sanctioned Rs 100 crore to support the workers when the Duncans closed the tea gardens, Chatterjee said.
After the Union ministry of Commerce and Industry recently asked for taking over of the management of the seven tea estates by the Tea Board, which is understood to be in process of seeking a Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) nod for the takeover.

Tea Board chairman has already written to the West Bengal government saying until a leave was obtained, it was unable to take control of the gardens.
The letter to the state government also requested the state that till the Board takes control, Duncan Industries has to honour the agreement made earlier with West Bengal government and labour unions.
The Board requested the state government to enforce the agreement to recover statutory, labour dues and operation of these gardens.