Source: The Sangai Express / N Noren
Jiribam, May 03:
The Manipur Tea Estate, Jiribam which has been lying defunct for the last many years may get a fresh leash of life if the assurance of Agriculture Minister N Loken becomes a reality.
After making survey of the existing condition of the tea estate which covers 425 hectares today, N Loken pledged that the Department of Agriculture will pay special attention to revive the estate.
Speaking to media persons after the survey tour, Loken said that he has keen interest to revive the tea estate in consultation with the Chief Minister.
Even as past Agriculture Ministers have failed to take up any pragmatic action after surveying the tea estate, the Jiribam tea estate will definitely get a fresh leash of life in 2008-09, assured the Agriculture Minister.
If only two staff of the Agriculture Department can look after the whole tea estate so well, the Manipur Tea Estate will certainly prove a success if it is maintained by the State Government, he expressed.
On being asked whether it would be more profitable to privatise the estate, the Minister said that question of privatisation will be studied after the State has re-activated the defunct tea estate.
Claiming that there is no paucity of fund for reviving the tea estate, Loken informed that security personnel will also be posted in the estate which would generate income for the State.
He further informed that he had discussed with the Chief Minister on enforcing marketing policies and crop insurance schemes in line with those being implemented in other States of India.
Engineers and officials of relevant companies will be called to estimate the amount that would be required to repair the unused and rusted machinery of the tea estate, he stated.
Moreover, the boundary of the tea estate which remains unclear will be also demarcated in consultation with officials of relevant departments, he added.
During his survey tour to the Jiribam tea estate, the Agriculture Minister was accompanied by Director of Agriculture Department RK Nayansana and ADC Jiribam Y Iboyaima.