'Declare Tocklai as an autonomous tea research institute'

JORHAT, JAN 29: Tocklai employees of the Tea Research Institute have demanded increased salaries as per the 7th Pay Commission and early release of the outstanding dues which is to the tune of Rs 48 crore. Fund meant for Tocklai has been diverted to other heads by a section of Kolkata tea lobby and for this reason the employees have been staging indefinite pen-down strike which entered the second day on Monday, said Paran Baruah, the president of the co-ordition committee, Tocklai.

Baruah said that unless the magement gave a concrete and permanent solution on Tocklai, they would not resume work. “We want Union Minister Suresh Prabhu’s intervention under whose ministry this pioneer institute falls. We had sent a letter no.COC/18/01 dated 02-01-2018 to Suresh Prabhu appealing for suitable measures for a permanent solution to the imbroglio at Tocklai which is oldest and largest tea research facility in the world,” he said.

“Since its inception CSIR was made active partner and guiding force of TRA, while the Government of India contributed regularly since 1964 in the form of grant-in-aid through CSIR. In 1989-1990, CSIR withdrew itself and since then Tocklai has been receiving government contribution via Tea Board. Tocklai has been at the receiving end, particularly after the exit of CSIR from the TRA functioning, and there is no full-proof support system. Since 2014, Tocklai has not been provided with the assured fund and the arrear mounted to more than Rs 50 crore leading to serious fund crisis and the institute is somehow maintaining the research activities but manpower is dwindling day-by-day for which till date nothing worthwhile is happening in Tocklai in terms of research,” said Devojit Baruah, the secretary of the committee.    “We demand the outstanding amount of Rs 48.03 crore to be released from the Tea Board immediately, Tocklai Tea Research Institute should be declared as an autonomous institute with 100 per cent government support and tea research should be attached to ICAR or CSIR for worthwhile functioning otherwise the pioneer tea research institute is on the verge of collapse,” said an officer from Tocklai.