Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday raised the coronavirus-induced workforce ceiling at tea estates from 15 per cent to 25 per cent, and later the chief secretary issued an order allowing gardens to resume plucking and other activities.

The announcements came as a relief for the industry, which had been seeking the resumption of operations to facilitate the production of the first and second flushes that fetch the maximum price.

In Bengal, the small tea sector stopped functioning on March 22 while the tea estates, which have accompanying factories, closed down on March 24 because of the lockdown.

“On the basis of the information received from the tea sector and after considering certain issues, we have decided that a maximum of 25 per cent of the total workforce can be engaged in a garden at a time,” Mamata said in Nabanna on Saturday.

On Thursday, the chief minister had announced that a maximum of 15 per cent of the workforce could be engaged at a time, that too only for skiffing, or dressing, of tea bushes.

The earlier announcement had left stakeholders of the tea industry disappointed as they wanted permission to start production.

The demand intensified after the Assam government allowed tea estates to resume production with 50 per cent of the workforce deployed at any given point. The Assam decision was taken in the aftermath of a Union home ministry circular giving the go-ahead to the resumption of operations in tea estates with up to half the workforce allowed in gardens together.

On Thursday, Bengal chief secretary Rajiva Sinha issued an order mentioning that “…operations including plucking in tea gardens are allowed with deployment up to 25 per cent of the total regular workforce at a time”.

“Norms of social distancing and proper hygiene practices must be ensured. It will be the responsibility of the organisation/establishment to ensure compliance of these norms,” the order added.

Some planters said more workers should be allowed. “This is the peak season and the Centre had advised the engagement of half of the workforce. But the state has mentioned that only one-fourths of the workforce can be engaged at a time. We apprehend it would not be possible for the gardens to resume and sustain production at the optimum level,” said a tea planter in Siliguri.

Arijit Raha, the secretary-general of the Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations (CCPA), the apex body of tea planters’ associations, wrote to the chief secretary welcoming the state government’s decision and pointing out that the industry would face further problems if production was not resumed immediately.

Earlier on Saturday, the management of Ichhamati Tea Estate in North Dinajpur announced suspension of work after the manager was allegedly assaulted by some security guards over which workers to deploy in keeping with the ceiling.