Guwahati, Dec 23: The Assam government is contemplating leasing out “some” tea gardens of Assam Tea Corporation (ATC) in the wake of difficulties faced in managing them.
In this regard, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held a meeting with Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) and other stake-holders on Thursday evening and also discussed the challenges and ways to revamp the tea gardens of Assam Tea Corporation (ATC).
The meeting observed that in the wake of difficulties of managing the tea gardens, ATC might lease out some of the tea gardens by retaining their ownership.
Subsequently, the meeting decided that a three-member committee, each for Barak and Brahmaputra valleys, would be constituted by the state government for leasing out the tea gardens and to safeguard the pay structure and other entitlements of the tea workers.
The chief minister however said that if the groups, which take over the management of the tea gardens, fail to disburse the dues and other entitlements of the tea workers, ATC will have the right to take over the management of the tea gardens.
Minister for tea tribe welfare Sanjay Kishan; Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha president Paban Singh Ghatowar; Assam Tea Corporation chairman Rajdeep Goala; Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha general secretary Rupesh Gowala among others were present at the meeting.
“We have initiated measures to revamp tea gardens with adequate government intervention for economic empowerment of our tea workers,” the chief minister later tweeted.
