Tea gardens in Bengal allowed to deploy 50pc workforce during lockdown
Earlier, the government had given permission to engageonly 15 per cent of workers in a garden to undertake skiffingactivities and subsequently, the limit was raised to 25 percent to start plucking operations.
The state government, in its order, said that the teagarden authorities will have to maintain social distancingnorms and proper hygiene practices.
Reacting to this, Tea Association of India presidentRaj Bansal said, "This is a much-awaited decision of the stategovernment and we welcome it."
He said the Assam government had already allowed teaplanters to deploy 100 per cent workforce to carry out allactivities in the estates.
"We hope the West Bengal government will also permitfull deployment of workforce in near future," Bansal said.
There will be a shortfall in tea production this year,he said, adding that full deployment of workforce is requiredbecause the second flush season is in the offing.
"Raising the workforce ceiling during the lockdown isa welcome move. We hope the government will allow 100 per centworkforce deployment in near future," Luxmi Tea Companymanaging director Rudra Chatterjee told .
Luxmi Tea, which owns gardens in Phulbari in Dooarsand Makaibari in Darjeeling, is awaiting the onset of thesecond flush season. dc SBNBDC BDC