Tea production in Assam affected gas unavailability

Guwahati: Production in five major tea growing districts of Assam has been adversely affected due to non-supply of gas by Assam Gas Company Ltd (AGCL).

The tea industry has urged the state government for immediate intervention in the matter.

Assam Tea Planters’ Association (ATPA), North East Tea Association (NETA) and Bharatiya Cha Parishad (BCP) in a letter to Assam minister for Industries, Commerce and Power Pradyut Bordoloi today apprised him of the grave situation and urged him to intervene and take necessary steps immediately.

Most of the tea factories in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Jorhat and Golaghat districts in Brahmaputra Valley-which account for about 45 percent of the total tea factories of the state-run their dryers and weathering troughs (hot air) on gas supplied by AGCL.

“On enquiry with the AGCL, the authorities told us that Oil India Limited (OIL) has not been able to supply gas to them and hence they in turn are not able to supply gas to tea factories and also to some other industries,” chairmen of ATPA Rajib Barooah, NETA’s Bidyananda Barkakoty and BCP’s Manoj Jalan said.

OIL has not been able to produce gas due to a bandh called by an organisation and even if gas supply is restored by OIL, even then AGCL will require some more time to build up pressure in their pipeline and the factories will not get the supply immediately.

“Most of the factories have stopped buying green leaf from today and will have to stop plucking of leaf from their own gardens from tomorrow,” they added.

PTI