Naga blow to tea growers

Guwahati , Assam : Phuleswar Gogoi has procured a land acquisition certificate from the government and is all set to apply for Tea Board benefits to develop his 70-bigha tea estate located in Jorhat district along the Assam-Nagaland boundary. But a letter from the neighbouring state has jeopardised his plans.

“Why are agricultural activities being taken up in these areas meant for jhum cultivation without prior permission from Nagaland?” the letter sent to him by Leriman Basti village council in Nagaland asked and directed him to stop tea cultivation by today.

“Who would want to invest in a tea estate having an uncertain future? What will happen if the Nagas take possession of the tea estate tomorrow?” Gogoi, the president of the Seleng unit of the Small Tea Growers Association, said.

Gogoi said the council had sent letters to seven small tea growers about 15 days ago. The letters have made all the small tea growers along the Assam-Nagaland boundary jittery about their future.

Most of these tea estates have come up on government land in the past two decades.

The All Assam Students Union (AASU), which has been spearheading the state’s fight against encroachment of land by neighbouring states, today staged a four-hour sit-in at Seleng Chariali, under Teok police station, to demand security for the small tea growers.

The Jorhat unit president of AASU, Biren Saikia, said small tea growers in the bordering areas should be encouraged since they were the ones keeping Naga encroachers at bay by taking up cultivation.

“It is unfortunate that the government is a mute spectator to such threatening letters from across the border,” he said.

Saikia said Nagaland has also asked Laujan High School authorities to hand over the school to Nagaland.

Purna Phukon, another small tea grower, said he had struggled to procure the last possession certificate and had begun the process to apply for Tea Board benefits. But the letter had jeopardised his plans.

With the small growers coming up as big players in the Assam tea industry, the commerce ministry has given stress on developing this sector. It directed the government to issue land acquisition certificates to small tea growers so that they could reap the benefits from the Tea Board.

Gogoi said he has apprised the border peace committee, comprising representatives from Nagaland and Assam, about the letter.

He, however, expressed doubts that he would get any support. “What is the use of having a peace committee when we receive such threatening letters from across the border?” he asked.

Source: The Telegraph