KAILASHAHAR, July 7 (TIWN): Tea industry in India's northeastern Tripura province after prolonged crisis due to the three decade long insurgency recently started improving as militancy is on the wane in the small state. Only a few years back many of the little more than 50 tea gardens of the state had almost closed down due to kidnapping, killing, looting and arsoning of the tea estate workers, administration staff and owners which was a very common incident in the state.

Plucking activities in most of the estates had once almost closed down as workers due to the fear of the militants had shifted from the area or joined other jobs for earning livelihood. The tea gardens were easy prey for the militants as most of the gardens are located in the remote area by the border and so in absence of any border fencing the militants could easily kidnap the garden workers and owners and take them across the border to Bangladesh.

An infamous incident in late nineties that had badly affected the tea industry was the kidnapping of a tea estate owner Jubabrata Chakraborty by militants. Later as per the demand of the militants in spite of paying a hefty ransom amount of around half-a-crore, Chakraborty was not released and died in their custody and even his body was not returned. 

This incident along with many more similar incidents had cast a black cloud on the tea industry of the state that directly employs around 20,000 families. But of late in large areas the bushes are green and workers have again started working in the tea gardens.

Chanu Modha, a superviser said, “Earlier there was militant’s fear but it is no more there and the labrours can work properly. We are earning well and better, the income has also increased. We are better now with our income. A time was there when there was crisis of labrours due to the fear of insurgents but now there is no crisis of labours anymore.”