Minister's reply smacks of ATC gardens' poor fincial health

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, August 10: Though the Assam Government maintains that the State-owned Assam Tea Corporation (ATC) has no sick gardens, the State Industries Minister’s response to queries in the Assembly has smacked of the fact that the ATC gardens are not in good health.

So much so that the amount of PF premia which ATC is to pay is less than the amount of its interest due to delayed payment. This alone is a strong pointer that the fiscal health of the ATC and its garden is not sound.

Responding to two separate queries – one from BJP’s Mril Saikia and the other from Teros Goawala, also of the BJP – State Industries Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary today said that the State-owned ATC had as many as 15 tea estates (TEs) under it. The 15 TEs, according to the minister, have 15,523 labourers in them. The 15 TEs are Cimara, Chhaykota, ginijan, Dipling, Negheriting, Rangamati, Vidyagar, Misamara, Amlakhi, Diju Valley, Lunsung, Bholaghuri, Longai and Isabeel.

The minister said that the government is trying to the make the ATC gardens profit-making ventures. ATC wants to plant tea saplings on 2,500 hectares of land. According to the minister, as on March 31, 2015 ATC has a gratuity burden of Rs 22 crore and PF burden of Rs 139 crore, including accumulated interest due to delayed payments. The State Government is contemplating on releasing funds. What is surprising is that the amount of interest due to delay in making payment is more than the amount of PF premia.