📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Bernard Gagnon
Agriculture
West Bengal orders 21 closed tea gardens to resume operations within 10 days
✍️ The Economic Times
🗓 26 Sep 2026, 01:06 AM
👁 14
The West Bengal government has directed that 21 tea gardens, currently shut, must restart production within ten days.
Kolkata – The state administration of West Bengal issued an order on Monday mandating the reopening of 21 tea gardens that have been non‑operational for several weeks. The directive, issued by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, gives the garden owners a ten‑day window to resume planting, plucking and processing activities.
Officials said the move aims to safeguard the livelihoods of thousands of workers employed in the tea sector, which contributes significantly to the state's economy and export earnings. The order also calls for compliance with existing labour and environmental regulations to ensure a smooth restart.
The tea garden owners have been asked to submit a compliance report to the state authority within the stipulated period. Failure to adhere to the deadline could attract penalties as per the state's industrial regulations.
Stakeholders, including workers' unions, welcomed the decision, noting that prolonged closures have led to wage losses and uncertainty for families dependent on tea garden income. The government has pledged to monitor the situation closely and provide necessary support for a swift revival of production.
Officials said the move aims to safeguard the livelihoods of thousands of workers employed in the tea sector, which contributes significantly to the state's economy and export earnings. The order also calls for compliance with existing labour and environmental regulations to ensure a smooth restart.
The tea garden owners have been asked to submit a compliance report to the state authority within the stipulated period. Failure to adhere to the deadline could attract penalties as per the state's industrial regulations.
Stakeholders, including workers' unions, welcomed the decision, noting that prolonged closures have led to wage losses and uncertainty for families dependent on tea garden income. The government has pledged to monitor the situation closely and provide necessary support for a swift revival of production.