Kolkata, August 19: West Bengal’s Tourism Minister Shankar Ghosh has recently alleged that during the Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime, numerous tea garden lands in North Bengal were sold illegally. He claims that the proceeds from these unlawful sales were funneled into the TMC party fund.
Ghosh, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Siliguri, made these accusations during a press conference. He called for an investigation into the land transfers of tea gardens that occurred under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s administration, labeling it as “institutional corruption.”
The government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has already established a commission headed by retired Justice Biswajit Basu to investigate corruption across various government sectors.
Ghosh stated that he would write to the Chief Minister, urging her to initiate a thorough investigation into all matters related to land transfers, leases, and commercial usage. He emphasized the need to examine how the tea garden lands were utilized and who benefited from them.
Additionally, the Tourism Minister announced plans to promote tea tourism in North Bengal’s tea gardens. He mentioned that arrangements would be made for tourists to stay in old bungalows through agreements with various tea garden owners and organizations.
“Our plan is to strengthen the local economy by connecting tea garden workers and residents with the tourism industry,” he said. The focus will be on ensuring that local people and tea garden laborers directly benefit from tourism.
Plans are also in place to create homestays within the tea gardens, alongside the old bungalows. The Minister highlighted that the state government’s goal is to transform tea gardens from mere tea-producing areas into significant tourist destinations.
He assured that the government would maintain a balance to ensure that the expansion of tourism does not harm the core identity of the tea gardens or the interests of the tea industry. He noted that the current government has approved a proposal to use 15 percent of the tea garden area for commercial activities.
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