NEW DELHI, May 23 � Voicing concern about the confusion over appointment of Tea Board chairman, Minister for Development of North-east Region (DoNER) Bijoy Krishna Handique has urged the Prime Minister to ensure appointment of an officer from Assam cadre as the chairman of Tea Board.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Handique has said that an officer from Assam cadre may be posted as the chairman of Tea Board in the best interest of Assam and the North-east, since there are reports in the media apprehending that officer from other than Assam cadres may be posted this time.
As more than 50 per cent of tea produced in the country comes from Assam, it has been the convention so far that officers from Assam-Meghalaya cadre and West Bengal cadre are posted alternatively every five years. This arrangement, in fact, has been appreciated by all concerned stakeholders related to tea industry and has immensely helped the growth and development of the industry.
As reported, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has circulated a proposal to appoint the principal secretary to West Bengal Chief Minister, Subesh Kumar Das, as the next chairman of the Tea Board, flouting the unwritten convention followed so far.
The issue of appointment of the Tea Board chairman has been hanging fire since October last, but it gathered momentum recently. The Civil Services Board (CSB) on April 18 sent a note proposing three names including K K Mittal, MGVK Bhanu and Maninder Singh, all empanelled joint secretaries to the Department of Personnel and Training. But the Commerce and Industry Ministry�s note has led to a confusion.
