Guwahati: The Assam government is considering reclassifying portions of its tea garden lands for industrial purposes.
This plan as per Industry Minister Bimal Bora is aimed to boost economic development while carefully preserving the state’s rich agricultural heritage.
The proposal, announced by Bora will identify areas within existing tea gardens suitable for industrial projects, without “compromising environmental sustainability”.
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However, it is not yet clear who would benefit from the move or the reclassification.
The stakeholders would be the government, the original landowners, or the current leaseholders of the tea gardens.
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All of Assam’s 700-odd regulated tea gardens are leased from the government on long-term agreements.
High-level discussions have begun to tackle the issues related to the gardens.
Key officials, including the Principal Secretary of Revenue and the Secretary of Industries, Commerce & PE, are evaluating the potential for reclassification in select tea gardens.