Court halts e-auction of tea at Kochi

A single-judge Bench of the Kerala High Court on Wednesday postponed hearing in a case regarding the introduction of e-auction for tea till June 29. Based on a report submitted by an advocates commission, both Tea Buyers Association (TBA), the petitioner in the case, and the Tea Board, filed their replies on Wednesday.

The Tea Board had implemented e-auction in Kochi a month back, evoking strong resistance from traders. The auction created a lot of trouble for traders as technical snags in the software affected trading for two-three days.

Auctions at the Kochi centre were conducted smoothly on Wednesday through the age-old outcry system. The high court had earlier directed continuation of the older system in response to a petition filed by Kochi-based traders. The Tea Board has implemented 100 per cent e-auction at Coonoor and partially at Coimbatore. In Kolkata and Guwahati, 25 per cent of the trading is done through e-auction, though the system is yet to open in Siliguri.