EoIs soon for 10 closed tea estates

The Central government will float expression of interests for reopening 10 closed tea gardens, with five each in West Bengal and Kerala within this month.

With this, the government will invoke Section 16 (E) of the Tea Act, 1953, which empowers the state to take over closed tea gardens.

This was informed by Jairam Ramesh, Union minister of state for commerce after the India International Potato Expo 2008 in Kolkata on Wednesday.

This apart, the West Bengal government has invited bids for reopening two other closed tea gardens in West Bengal, namely, Ramjhora and Kathalgora tea estates . So far, the government has received 2 bids for the Kathalgora tea garden and none for Ramjhora.

Owners of two other tea gardens in West Bengal, namely, Bharnobari and Sumsing, were in the process negotiating the terms of sale with expected owners, Ramesh informed.

There are about 13 closed tea gardens in West Bengal at present, including the four up for sale.

"We are facing some problem with some of the tea gardens on issues by litigation and ownership. In spite of this, we are going ahead with the reopening of the tea gardens. The bids for opening the tea gardens will be floated on January 15, 2008. It has been vetted by the ministry of law. We may not be able to issue EOI s for all the nine tea gardens, but for five it has been finialised," he said.

The minster said that in Kerala the government hoped to open three tea gardens soon, and Section 16 (E) will be invoked in five.

The Centre is also insisting state governments of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal to allow horticulture cultivation in five 5 per cent of land in tea gardens. While, the Assam government has agreed to the demand, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are yet to response on the issue.

Kerala has turned down the proposal. In West Bengal, the land ceiling act does not allow the state use more than 24 acre land in tea gardens for purposes other than tea cultivation.

"The chief minister has conveyed me that he is talking to the tea owners in the state," he said.