Public meeting held in Doomdooma to tackle rampant green tea leaf theft

A CORRESPONDENT

DOOMDOOMA: Green tea leaf theft has become a cause for worry as it has been going on rampant for many years in the tea gardens owned by big companies in and around Doomdooma. According to police, things have come to such a pass that it has become a  law and order issue and in some areas these incidents have led to group clashes.      

In order to discuss this burning issue and find a potential solution, a public meeting was held on Thursday at the Marwari Panchayati Bhawan, Doomdooma. The meeting was organized jointly by the Doomdooma Police Station (PS) and the Thana Level Nagarik Committee (TLNC) of Doomdooma PS.     

The meeting was addressed by Mrinmoy Das, Additional Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), Tinsukia, Diganta Dutta, Superintendent of Police of the Doomdooma co-district,  Kritartha Neog, Assistant Commissioner of Doomdooma co-district, Officer-in-Charge, Doomdooma PS Inspector Pranjal Chetia, representatives of 21 tea gardens and 28 bought leaf factories in the Doomdooma PS area, representatives from the Doomdooma regional committee of the All Assam Small Tea Growers’ Association, and members from both the All Moran Students’ Union (AMSU) and the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA). All participants expressed their views and gave suggestions regarding the issue of green leaves theft.

Addressing the gathering, Additional Superintendent of Police Mrinmoy Das stated that from now onwards, not only the green tea leaves thieves but also the agents purchasing the stolen leaves and the bought leaf factories involved in purchasing from those agents would face strict legal action.

In the concluding remarks, Assistant Commissioner Kritartha Neog announced that a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) would soon be issued for the bought leaf factories, agents of green tea leaves, and small tea growers of Doomdooma co-district, after holding consultations with the departments of Labour, Transport, Police, and others.

The meeting was moderated by senior journalist and member of the TLNC of Doomdooma PS Abhijit Khataniar and was also attended by the President of the TLNC, Binod Tanti, and members Raj Kumar Garodia, Dilip Kumar Prasad, Tutumoni Moran, Zubeir Ahmed, and others.

Also Read: Assam: Small tea growers threaten stir over low green leaf price

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