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Turn tea estates into tourist spots, says UDF

Kerala tea estates, being abandoned by planters due to the steep decline in the price of tea, should become tourist spots, says a sub-committee of the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front.

The front has told the government to consider the recommendation to tide over the crisis.

The sub-committee headed by UDF convenor Oommen Chandy recommended this after a discussion with representatives of the tea planters held at Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. The meeting was held to look at several measures for bailing out the sick plantations.

The committee also wants the government to allow planters to utilise 10 per cent area of the plantations to develop tourist resorts or grow other cash crops.

Planters would, however, would prefer developing tourist resorts to growing cash crops since most plantations in the state are located in the Western Ghats, already attractive to tourists.

Munnar in Idukki district, having some of the world's highest tea estates, is considered one of the finest hill stations in the state.

Besides this, the committee has also recommended reduction of taxes on tea, by both the state and central governments. The state government has exempted small and medium planters from income tax that amounts to 60 per cent.

The panel has asked the state government to exempt tea from sales tax also and reduce the power tariff for tea plantations till the crisis is over.

A sub-committee constituted by the cabinet to find a permanent solution to the crisis will consider these suggestions in its meeting on November 21.

Kerala Agriculture Minister K R Gowri Amma will interact with the tea planters on November 21 and 22.

The parliamentary standing committee, of the ministry of commerce, is also aware of the situation.

Headed by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kailash Joshi, the committee visited the sick tea plantations at Peermade in Idukki district

The state government has urged the committee, to recommend concessions allowed to the sick industrial units, to the tea companies also. Half a dozen estates and 14 tea processing companies have closed down so far, leaving 15, 000 workers jobless.

The state government gave free ration and medical and educational aid to the workers of the units after five workers committed suicide.

The crisis-ridden companies have reportedly diverted provident fund and other statutory benefits due to the workers, who have not been getting wages for a long time now.

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