Tea Industry: A Planter’s Perspective- Part III- ‘Tea Estates & the NOC Issue’

Tea Estates – the NOC issue

November 30: Both the Government of India & Government of Assam have formulated schemes for the benefit of the poor, BPL families & Scheduled Castes & Tribes which are implemented through DRDA as their nodal agency. Most of them really doesn’t affect the tea estate managements but the most damaging of them is the scheme under which free houses are sanctioned to residents of the tea estates under PMAY-R/IAY which directly impacts the land holding on which the Government collects land revenue from the management/owners of the tea estates.

Tea planters of the valley is of the opinion that almost 70-75% of the beneficiaries are ‘non-workers/trespassers on the estates’ land and only 20-25% of the beneficiaries really belong to the work force, be it, permanent or casual. This is an issue in almost all the estates of Cachar but how many are concerned is anyone’s guess. While interacting with way2barak, a planter in Barak Valley said, “One should not have a problem in issuing an NOC to a worker who is contributing to the garden’s welfare & economy, but those who do not add value to the estate should not be encouraged and rather should be shown the way out of the estate.”

“The political interference is such that leaders – AP, GP, Secretary of the Gaon Panchayat, Members of Zilla Parishads in connivance with the powers that be, use muscle power to roll over any objection of the management of the tea estates and forcibly sanction & build illegal houses with tax payer’s money and the authorities turn a blind eye every time. Procedures, documentation for sanction of such houses are flouted with disdain,” alleges a planter wishing to be unnamed. The site of Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, very explicitly gives details of documents which need to be submitted while applying for a house. On checking, it is found that almost all of them do not produce documents as required and even then their application is passed and they are allotted a house.

Another interesting fact which came to light recently is that there is a provision that the Central & State Government in a 50:50 ratio will pay Rs 20,000/- to each beneficiary who does not possess land or the Government cannot provide them land & does not have an NOC to build one on someone else’s land. When asked regarding this provision, another renowned planter who too wished not to be named said, “I wonder how many producers/owners are aware of this. Producers like me who are concerned with this, face the wrath of political parties.”

During one such interaction, Anil Goenka, a planter said, “I had proposed to the Sub District Civil head in June, 2016 during an agitation over this matter to ear mark the portion of land where the basti of labour could be developed by the Government and requisition the land from the owner on compensation so that this problem of NOC can be done away with. As expected the officer declined. My only worry is that with growing population and infiltration of refugees from across the border, areas which today are under tea may, after 5 to 10 years will start converting into grand bastis. It will be too late then.”

Also Read: Tea Industry: A Planter’s Perspective- Part II- ‘Tea Estates – Work Culture’

To be continued……4