Source: The Sangai Express / Jacob Panmei
Jiribam, August 04:
The lone tea estate of the State located at Mounbung, Jiribam under Imphal East is on the verge of nonextant due to the negligence of the State Government in reviving the withering estate.
The estate which was set up in the year 1981-82 covering an area of 425 hectares out of which tea plantation is made upon 300 hectares and the remaining areas of more than 20 hectares is still remained unuse.
Notably, from 1995 to 2000, the tea estate had benefited the Government a lot.
With an aim to get the maximum benefit out of the tea estate, the Government installed machines worth Rs 2 crores.
To make the matter worse, villagers of surrounding villages have encroached upon the tea estate by cutting down tea plants and started rubber plantation.
Now rubber plantation had covered around 70 hectares
of the estate.
As of now a handful of employees are selling the plucked tea leaves to Jirighat Tea Estate for maintenance of the office existing only for the namesake.
Mention may be made that the then agriculture Minister Ph Parijat during his visit to the estate on May 23, 2005 assured that employees of the estate would be paid regularly and the tea estate would function efficiently.
But it has not yet been materialised.
He also lamented that Rs 13 crores had already been spent on the estate but no benefit could be reaped.
In the same year, the then Governor Dr SS Sidhu during his unprecedented journey taken by road along NH-53 to Jiribam asserted that the revival of the lone tea estate was a must so as to generate income for the State and employment opportunity for the locals.
Last year on April 30, Principal Secretary P Sarat accompanied by DC Imphal East Thamkishore on their visit to Jiri were shocked to see the dilapidated condition of the tea estate by stating that crores of rupees have ben spent on the unproductive firm.
The officials also reaffirmed their commitment to resurrect the dyeing estate.
K Ranjit the then Agriculture Minister during the Nipamacha regime also assured the same old promise.
The latest Minister who can be added to the list is the present Agriculture Minister N Loken during his visit to Jiri on May 4 last.
It is obvious that the people of Jiri will feel step motherly treatment as the promises never changed into reality.