TMC govt reopened 8 tea gardens, says Min

Kolkata: West Bengal labour minister Becharam Manna on Thursday told the Assembly that the Trinamool Congress government, after coming to power in the state in 2011, re-opened eight of 18 tea gardens that had downed shutters during the Left rule.

During the question hour, Manna, while replying to a query, said some of the closed gardens in North Bengal are embroiled in legal tangles and the government was trying to sort the matters.The minister said that houses were being set up for tea garden workers under the 'Chaa Sundari' programme.

He also stated that the government had been distributing food items, including 35 kg rice, among the tea worker families, besides making provisions for their healthcare.

Fisheries minister Akhil Giri, during the session, said that the state government is planning to start pisciculture in Nayachar island near Haldia in Purba Midnapur district, maintaining all coastal zone regulations.The initiative will create job opportunities for the people of the state, Manna pointed out, adding that a cold storage will be built in Haldia for storing the catch and preparing it for export.