Tea estate rations disrupted

Delivery of foodgrain by Food Corporation of India (FCI) against government allotments made in favour of tea associations has been stopped under a directive from the government of India, plunging tea gardens in north Bengal into deep trouble.

The tea industry is apprehensive that the move could lead to serious law and order situation in the tea estates in north Bengal as the workers do not have any other alternate source of sustenance due to the geographical location of the tea estates and their total dependence on the time tested arrangements made by the tea industry.

The decision was incomprehensible to the industry as government allotments in favour of the tea associations had been made since the introduction of the public distribution system (PDS).

The tea industry had been shouldering the responsibility since the state's PDS network in the form of fair price shops does not reach out to this section of people in the state.

Tea industry representatives said, unless status quo was maintained and delivery of stocks by FCI was resumed forthwith it would be impossible for the industry to maintain timely uninterrupted supplies of ration to its workers.