August 1, 2018
Dasarath Tirkey speaks on the issue of closed tea gardens in north Bengal
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Thank you Madam for giving me the opportunity to speak. I have received the chance to speak after a long time.
I want to attract the attention of Commerce Minister. My constituency, Alipurduar, is predominantly a tea-garden area. There are nearly 300 tea gardens in this region. Madam, out of these nearly 15 or 16 tea gardens are closed.
Few years back, when the Prime Minister had visited the area for campaigning, a promise was made that if people vote for their party, initiatives will be taken to reopen the tea gardens. After that, then Commerce Minister also visited the region and assurances were given that 6 tea gardens belonging to Duncans will be taken over and be brought under the Tea Board.
However, Madam, sadly nothing has happened in this regard so far. Thanks to the initiatives of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, four or five tea gardens have been reopened. These tea gardens are in bad shape. I request the Commerce Ministry to consider reopening these tea gardens and also take steps for their development.
