Full-scale plucking in tea gardens of Assam will resume only after two weeks.

Though deputy commissioners of a few districts have given permission for plucking, it will take time for the bush to be ready as prolonged closure disrupts routine practices and adversely impacts productivity.

The tea industry has been in a lockdown since March 24.

“The leaf becomes long if it is not plucked on time and grows freely. After the closure period, the overgrown branches need to be skiffed/pruned to encourage new shoots,” a tea scientist said.

The Dibrugarh district administration on Friday decided to open tea gardens on Saturday with Covid protocol.

Dibrugarh deputy commissioner Pallav Gopal Jha chaired the meeting on these protocols. Decisions were taken on social distancing, hygiene and hand-washing in all public gatherings, tea garden management will be asked to provide masks and medical units/administration informed on health issues of workers.

Similarly, Bagan Bazars are to be kept closed. Instructions were given to all the stakeholders to develop a mechanism involving local youths for door-to-door delivery of grocery, vegetables and the like.

Jha requested the garden management to consider payment of wages to workers for March 23-24, the two days that ATTSA has declared a bandh. All decisions taken in the meeting are applicable to small tea growers and bought leaf factories of the district.

Jha said migration in a garden should be totally restricted. The Dibrugarh superintendent of police will activate the village defence parties and tea garden management will ensure its enforcement.

The ACMS Dibrugarh branch secretary Nabin Chandra Keot said, “We were present at the meeting. From Saturday the tea gardens will be functioning, but the plucking will not start, because the leaves have grown bigger from lack of plucking owing to the lockdown.”

The Charaideo district administration on Thursday allowed the small tea growers to start their plucking activities with maximum 50 per cent of workers from Saturday. In a meeting on Friday at the office of the deputy commissioner, it was also resolved that the bought leaf factories would receive green leaves supplied by the small tea growers.

“Small tea growers have to strictly adhere to the principle of social distancing and other norms for containment of Covid-19. Our teams will monitor on a regular basis and if any discrepancy is found, the permission will be withdrawn and legal action initiated. The bought-leaf factories need to apply for permission, which will be given after proper scrutiny,” said Charaideo deputy commissioner Palash Ranjan Gharphalia. The permission is meant only for small tea growers and bought-leaf factories. We have not given permission to big tea gardens, he added.

Dispur earlier made it clear that gardens can resume operations with permission from district authorities and according to health department norms.

Additional reporting by our special correspondent in Guwahati