GUWAHATI, March 6 ? The State Government will initiate steps to regularise the land encroached by the tea gardens by imposing penalty, if necessary, said the Revenue Minister, Sri Devananda Konwar. In reply to a question by Sri Girindra Kumar Baruah (AGP) in the State Assembly today, the Minister said that it would be difficult for the Government to take over the encroached land, where plantations exist and the best way out is to regularise the same to boost the land revenue collection.
Sri Konwar revealed that Assam has 1081 tea gardens covering an area of more than 26,98,275 bigha and the State Government earns land revenue of Rs 3,39,77,316 per year from the gardens. He admitted that it might be necessary for the Government to increase the land revenue rates due to the prevailing financial position. However, at the same time, he pointed out that the tea industry in the State is passing through a bad phase. According to records available, last year the State produced 830 million kg of tea and 164 million kg was exported. The volume of export was 22 million kg less than the previous year, he added.
Meanwhile, several members of the AGP expressed doubts on whether the Government has the courage to go against the ?tea lobby? while Sri Sarbananda Sonowal (AGP) demanded that the land under encroachment of the tea gardens should be used to give settlement to the flood and erosion affected people and the ex-tea tribes. In reply to another question by Dr Tara Prasad Das (Ind), Sri Konwar, who is also in charge of the Finance Department, revealed that the agriculture income tax received from tea is gradually coming down in the last few years. He revealed that the main reasons for this phenomenon include fall of price in the tea auction centre, import of tea at lower price from countries like China, Sri Lanka, Kenya etc, reduction of the volume of exports etc.