Agartala: All Tripura Rubber Growers’ Association on Monday strongly opposed any move to pass the ‘controversial’ Tripura Land Reforms Act (10th amendment).
Around 2 lakh families involved in the rubber plantation would be suffered if the amendment bill is passed in the Assembly, said Tara Bhusan Saha, secretary of the Association here on Monday.
He said the rubber plantation has brought a sea change in the socio-economic condition of the state as around 40,000 planters are involved in the sector.
“The government move to pass the amendment bill will certainly have adverse impact on the rubber plantation. We want the government to abandon the plan to bring any change in the existing Act”, he said.
Citing example, Saha said the Bill proposes 45 kani land as maximum ceiling to be possessed by an individual. “In Tripura, there are so many rubber planters who have rubber plantation spreading over 50 kani to 100 kani. What will happen to them if the Bill is passed in the Assembly? The attempt is nothing but to derail the rubber plantation and rubber based manufacturing units”, he said.
As per the Rubber Board projection, the state could have rubber plantation spreading around 1 lakh hectares land. Out of which rubber has been planted in 61 hectares leaving a shortfall of around 39,000 hectares. “The government could bring necessary change in the TLR Act only after achieving the target for rubber plantation”, he pointed out. Around 50 rubber planters from across the state joined a meeting here and discussed various issues related to the Land Reform Bill (amendment).
“All the rubber planters present in the meeting expressed grave concern over the government move on the land reforms. We will take our concerns with the appropriate level very shortly”, he said.
The state government is supposed to collect revenue of Rs. 25 crore from rubber planters for the year 2013-14 FY while the revenue earning is almost zero from tea planters. Of the total 14000 hectares of land allotted for tea plantation, only 4000 hectares land is covered with tea bush.
