Work has resumed in the tea gardens of Tripura at a time when the novel coronavirus is wreaking havoc across the world, but, garden owners claimed, with all precautionary measures.

Anjan Das, owner of the almost 59-year old Sova tea estate in Unatkoti district which engages about 200 workers, said, “We have received orders from the Centre and the state government to resume work in our tea gardens. With the state registering a coronavirus-positive case, we held a series of talks with workers and their unions and resumed work after they agreed.”

Das said they were taking all precautionary measures. “We are strictly following government rules. Our workers are maintaining social distance and hygiene. They wash their hands before going to a garden and after finishing work. We are working with 50 per cent strength,” he told this correspondent.

Tripura industries and commerce secretary Kiran Gitte told The Telegraph, “We received an order from the Union ministry of home affairs on April 3 to resume work in the tea gardens of the state but it set some conditions like deploying 50 per cent of the workers, maintaining social distance and hygiene and wearing masks. Some of the tea gardens have already started work accordingly to the rules. We are also taking care of the tea labourers. We have also given them additional rations,” Gitte said.

The chairperson of Tripura Tea Development Corporation, Santosh Saha, said they have started work in all the three gardens under TTDC.

“We are maintaining the government’s safety norms. The labour department, health department and the sub-divisional magistrate are monitoring the gardens and workers,” he said.

Saha said they have procured 600 masks from Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission and directed all tea gardens owners to ensure that all preventive measures are taken. “It’s been two to three days since the gardens resumed work,” he added.

The tea industry in Tripura is over 100 years old. Tea cultivation had started at Hiracherra tea estate in the present Unakoti district in 1916. However, the industry hasn’t really picked up in the national arena so far. Initiatives to boost the tea sector started a couple of years ago by designing a logo and branding Tripura tea.

Tripura has 58 operational gardens, of which 42 are privately owned, three are run by TTDC and 13 are operated under cooperative societies. Most of these tea estates produced orthodox tea till 2000 but moved on to CTC after the millennium. With a bit of prodding from the Tea Board and marketing assistance, many of these gardens are now producing orthodox tea.