22 tea gardens closed

 State labour minister Mohammad Amin said today the state government has started providing relief of Rs 500 per month to workers of three estates and the charity would be extended to workers of four more gardens.

 Replying to a query at the Assembly today, the labour minister said the situation had reached to an alarming state. The government, he said, would come out with a detailed plan to combat the situation.

 He said the government has appointed a committee to prepare a report on the prevailing situation in the industry. The committee members had already returned from north Bengal, where the tea estates are housed in the state, would submit its report within this week.