Waiver for Jalpaiguri tea center

Alipurduar, Jan. 2: If a garden management sells tea through Jalpaiguri Tea Auction Centre, then it will not have to pay any sales tax for inter-state transportation, finance minister Asim Dasgupta said today.

“The tea market is in good shape and this is the time to open the few estates that are closed in the Dooars,” the minister said. He was at the Alipurduar Parade Ground this afternoon to inaugurate the third Tea Garden and Forest Village Festival organised by backward classes welfare department. The minister said the government was ready to give Rs 25 lakh for the programme held annually, but everybody associated with the tea industry and the forest sector had to be involved.

“I have talked to the forest officials and we have decided to remove the dolomite dust from Hatipota under Buxa Tiger Reserve and use it for agriculture.”

The minister promised to make pucca the four bridges over the Buri Torsha and two streams between Falakata and Palashbari. “The central government had said it would do the job, but failed. We will do it at the earliest. The mahouts and patawalas working in forest department will get two sets of uniforms in a year.”