Cinchona plantations on verge of closure - People’s Forum

Kalimpong,Pradeep Lohagun: People’s Forum general secretary Pravin Gurung today alleged the cinchona gardens in the Hills are on the verge of closure. He said the Gorkha Territorial Administration would be responsible if the gardens were to close.
Gurung’s comments came after the government-controlled cinchona plantation farms got transferred to the GTA. He said Rs352 crore has been sanctioned to the GTA according to the annual budget passed by the state government. But nothing has been earmarked to the cinchona factories as a result of which more than 200 retired workers have not yet received their gratuity payments. The sector is also finding it difficult to hand out monthly salaries to workers and employees, claimed Gurung.
Reiterating his warning about the factories shutting down soon, the Forum general secretary accused the state government of purposefully letting the GTA take charge of the cinchona firms. He said even after getting Rs352.27 crore under the Annual Budget DD No. 2551-60-193 NP 0262631, the GTA has not allotted any funds to the cinchona gardens, adding the autonomous body is incapable of running the gardens.
Gurung went on to state the GTA must hand over the responsibility of running the cinchona factories back to the state government, while demanding an explanation from GTA chief Bimal Gurung on the present conditions of the cinchona gardens and the logic behind appointing a new director.
According to the Cinchona Director Appointment Rules 1990, the director should be a first-division passed doctorate in Botany and Chemistry, first-division passed Masters degree holder, have five years of work experience with his research works published. But all these have been compromised in the present appointment, claimed Gurung, adding director-in waiting Samuel Rai is an eminent researcher, but he excels in agriculture and cinchona is not his field of expertise.
The general secretary further said the cinchona factories are already running in heavy losses and need an able director to address these problems. “Rai has been appointed by political pressure and we oppose this,” added Gurung.
Meanwhile, incumbent director Dr. G C Subba said the allegations of employees not getting their payments are true, but said the problems are temporary and would be taken care of as soon as possible. He also said the GTA has not received any funds so far in this fiscal making it impossible to pay the workers.
Meanwhile, GTA cinchona department official Samuel Gurung denied the allegations made by the People’s Forum, saying the appointment of the director is through the PSC. According to him, the cinchona department has already sent its budget proposal to the GTA and the matter under consideration.
Echoing the GTA official, GJM-affiliated Terai-Dooars Labour Plantation Union president Gopal Ruchal claimed there were no problems with the worker payment issue. He said the delay in gratuity payments of retired workers would soon be resolved.