Over half a dozen incidents of violence on managerial staff of tea estates over the last few months has perturbed industry officials deeply.

The Darjeeling Planters Association (DPA), a forum of Darjeeling planters, represented by a delegation led by chairman AK Lohia, vice chairman RK Dixit, member governing body CS Lalkaka and secretaries AR Sarkar and Ranen Datta met the state ministers of labour and minority affairs and high ranking government officials.

A memorandum was submitted apprising them of the difficulties being faced by the estates.

According to the DPA, there have been brutal assaults in a large number of gardens, the most prominent being North Tukvar, Moondakotee, Glenburn and Lingia tea estates.

As reported earlier in The FinancialExpress, one affected company, Darjeeling Plantation Industries Ltd (DPIL), was forced to declare a lock-out at their Moondakotee Tea Estate. A lock-out was declared on June 8, which was called due to repeated cases of indiscipline and use of force by a section of the militant labour force.

This particular tea garden had been facing labour indiscipline for quite sometime. The management of the garden found it almost impossible to enforce a standard discipline.

The labour refused to listen to the management's insistence on better quality plucking and more productivity, and garden managers got beaten up quite often.

Consequently, productivity took a dip in the garden that made good quality Darjeeling teas. Likewise Lingia Tea Estate of the Williamson Magor group was also forced to declare a lock-out due to indiscipline.

A senior industry observer said such incidents are uncalled for under any circumstances as they jeopardise the whole system of functioning.

The consequences have been major forthe gardens as dwindling production has led to cost of production shooting up.

Production has been hovering at 9-10 million kg over the last 30 years. The main problem can be attributed to a low demand and a restricted clientele. About 50 per cent of the variety is exported which includes the first and second flush teas. The balance 50 per cent is of the post second flush or the rains crop which is sold primarily in the domestic market.

Moreover, rejuvenation and uprooting levels are quite low. Also plaguing the industry is the lack of proper irrigation schemes during winter months, which retards the growth of the first and second flush.

Unprecedented landslides in 1998 have inflicted damage estimated to be over Rs 10 crore. Moreover in 1999, with the prolonged drought having hit the entire northeast, the Darjeeling crop lost its production of first and second flush teas.

At a time when growers feel that Darjeeling tea is more of a high quality `speciality tea' and needs to be stepped up, situationslike this go against the very idea of improvement, market observers contend.