Association Asks Govt To Revive Package For Ailing Tea Gardens

Kolkata: Mr Shashank Prashad, the newly elected President of Tea Association of India, in a statement has asked the Union Government to declare a package for relief and rehabilitation for a large number of ailing but not closed tea gardens on the same line the package being finalised for the closed gardens. There were many ailing tea gardens in Dooars & Terai in North Bengal as also in both Brhamaputra and Barak valleys of Assam and the unprecedented crisis in the tea sector over the past seven years has delivered many gardens financially unviable. The relief and rehabilitation package for ailing gardens, should comprise restructuring of bank loans, a subsidy on interest rates, waiver of penal interest and fines on Provident Fund arrears and a special financial facility at concessional rate of interest. The package could only be an interim measure providing some breather to the distressed gardens.