Payment of Salami in Installments by Tea Gardens
Government of West Bengal
Land &Land Reforms and RR& R Department
Land Policy Branch
Nabanna (6th Floor)
325, Sarat Chatterjee Road, Howrah-711 102
No. 3639-LP/3T-14/2015 Date: 26.12.2016
MEMORANDUM
Indian Tea Association and other stakeholders have been praying for getting facility for payment of salami in instalments considering the present stressed condition of tea industry. As submitted by them, many tea gardens could not get the lease renewed as they could not make payment of salami in full and at a time. As a result, they are facing difficulty in getting bank credit to run tea gardens in absence of valid lease deed and consequently the livelihood of a large number of workers and employees of tea gardens is at stake. This issue has been under active consideration of the Government for some time past.
2. Now, after careful consideration of the stressed condition of the tea industry and other relevant factors, the Governor is pleased to extend the facility for payment of salami (wherever applicable) in instalments by tea gardens on the following terms and conditions:-
i) This facility to pay salami is allowed as a special case in not more than seven equal annual instalments only to such tea gardens provided applications for renewal and/or transfer of lease were received from them before the issuance of this memorandum.
ii) An undertaking has to be given in the form of affidavit by the tea gardens/ companies concerned to the effect that they will make regular and timely payment of wages and other dues to workers and in case of default the instalment facility in respect of payment of salami shall be withdrawn and the tea garden/ company shall be liable to pay the entire outstanding dues in a single instalment and that for failure to pay the salami, the State Government shall proceed to determine the lease.
iii) Registration of lease deed shall be allowed after payment of first instalment of salami to enable the tea gardens concerned to get credits from banks and other financial institutions, though they are liable to make full payment of salami for registration of lease deed.
iv) This one time facility given to tea gardens on certain conditions for payment of salami in instalments shall not be cited as a precedent by any other lessee(s) of tea gardens or otherwise and for any other purpose whatsoever.
This memorandum will come into force immediately.
Sd/- Manoj Pant
LRC & Principal Secretary to the
Government of West Bengal