Plan of Bengal, Assam govts to boost tea tourism finds few takers

Banks, on the other hand, are looking to extend lines of credit despite recent rating downgrades of major listed tea companies

The West Bengal and the Assam governments’ initiatives for boosting income of tea companies by allowing them to use a larger part of idle land in their estates for tourism and other purposes may come a cropper because of a lack of funds. 

The West Bengal government recently allowed tea garden owners to use up to 15 per cent (maximum of 150 acres) of estates, but non-plantation area, for activities like tourism, growing non-tea crops and others; the earlier cap was 5 per cent. Assam is also expected to come up with a similar announcement soon. 

However, the West Bengal