DIBRUGARH, Nov 6: Taking serious exception to the alleged acceptance and processing of substandard green tea leaves at the Pengeri Garh tea factory in Tinsukia district, the All Assam Small Tea Growers’ Association has moved the Tea Board of India, seeking stringent action against the factory for purportedly compromising tea quality and violating established food safety regulations.
In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Executive Director of the Tea Board’s North Eastern Zonal Office in Guwahati, the association raised serious concerns over alleged violations of tea quality regulations and food safety norms by the factory. They demanded immediate intervention and stringent action against the Pengeri Garh tea factory for its alleged illegal activities.
The memorandum, signed by the association’s general secretary Jagat Handique, alleged that the factory had been producing extremely low-grade tea in gross violation of Tea Board regulations and the Tea Marketing Control Order (TMCO), 2003. It further claimed that the tea being manufactured was unfit for human consumption and that its production and sale in the market posed a serious threat to public health while tarnishing the reputation of Assam’s prestigious tea industry.
The association has called for an immediate halt to the factory’s alleged illegal tea production activities. It has also urged the Tea Board to strengthen its monitoring mechanism by properly scrutinising the monthly returns submitted by tea factories across Assam and verifying their tea waste licences and stock records.
Emphasising the need for quality control and consumer safety, the association further demanded that the Tea Board ensure strict compliance with prescribed quality and food safety standards by all tea manufacturing units.
The association has called upon the Tea Board to take immediate and appropriate action on the issues raised in its memorandum. It also warned that it would not be held responsible for any undesirable situation that might arise in the future if activities allegedly compromising the quality and reputation of Assam tea were allowed to continue unchecked.