Promotion and Development of Tea Tourism Infrastructure in Assam

What is the Promotion and Development of Tea Tourism Infrastructure scheme?

Promotion and Development of Tea Tourism Infrastructure in Assam is a state scheme of the Tourism Department, Government of Assam, implemented by Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ATDC). The scheme was framed for the implementation years 2022-23 and 2023-24 and aims to develop 50 selected tea gardens as tourism destinations in a mission mode approach.

According to the scheme guidelines published by the Tourism Department, tea has been part of the Assam landscape since its discovery in 1823, and the state has more than 800 tea estates. The guidelines note that the potential of tea tourism has remained largely unexplored, and that lush gardens, iconic bungalows and the distinct music and dance of the tea communities can attract both domestic and international visitors.

In the state budget announcement for the financial year 2022-23, an amount of Rs 50 crore was earmarked for the promotion and development of tea tourism.

The Tourism Department defines "tea tourism" broadly as the whole experience of a tourist inside a tea garden or estate, with accommodation in an iconic bungalow fitted with modern amenities. The scope includes trekking through a lush garden, a tea-tasting session, a visit to a working tea factory, and even trying one's hand at plucking tea leaves.

Stated objectives

• Upgrade the existing tourist infrastructure of tea gardens.
• Encourage private tea companies to promote tea tourism in the state.
• Develop modern amenities capable of attracting tourists worldwide.
• Build coordination among tea stakeholders and state tour operators.
• Promote activities such as plucking tea leaves, nature walks, trekking, rafting and golf.
• Showcase the culture and socio-economic life of the Tea Tribes of Assam.

Who is eligible under the Assam tea tourism scheme?

You can be considered if:

• You are a private tea garden company or garden owner in Assam.
• You hold the garden on lease with at least 15 years of the lease period remaining from the date of application.
• The tea garden company, owner or lease holder is willing to undertake the tea tourism scheme and to sign an agreement with ATDC.
• The garden is free of disputes, encroachment and industrial pollution.
• The garden meets the size norm. An ideal size of 50 hectares and above, or 25 hectares in a hill district.

Preference is given to:

• Tea gardens that are iconic or heritage in character.
• Gardens located near reserved forests, wildlife sanctuaries, national parks or existing major tourist destinations and circuits.
• Gardens that already have tourist infrastructure such as an iconic bungalow or a golf court.

You cannot apply if:

• You are an individual citizen with no tea garden. The scheme is an infrastructure grant to tea estates, not a personal or household benefit.
• You are a lease holder with less than 15 years of lease remaining.
• The garden is under dispute or encroachment, or is affected by industrial pollution.
• You intend to use the assistance for anything other than renovation of iconic bungalows or newly created tourism infrastructure. Those are the only two heads for which assistance is given.

The guidelines also state that preference for employment in tea tourism activities will be given to people dependent on tea garden workers, and that local traditions of food, attire and handicrafts will be promoted.

What does the scheme pay for?

All components under the scheme are need-based. The guidelines list the probable activities as:

Any other facility deemed fit for boosting tea tourism may also be incorporated.

How much assistance is available?

The pattern of assistance under the scheme is 50:50: government share to beneficiary share. The upper ceiling of the government share is Rs 2 crore per tea garden, matched by an equal contribution from the tea garden owner or company.

The government share is released in three instalments:

• First instalment to 20 per cent of the eligible subsidy, released on completion of 30 per cent of the total estimated project work, based on a progress report from the engineers of the implementing agency.
• Second instalment to 40 per cent, released on completion of 70 per cent of the estimated project work, again against a progress report.
• Third and final instalment — 40 per cent, released after completion of all approved works and submission of the final progress report and bills, duly certified by the concerned engineers confirming 100 per cent completion.

For the third instalment, the beneficiary must also submit photographs of the pre-development, during-development and post-development stages signed by the site engineer, geo-tagging records of the project where applicable, and 100 per cent work completion reports.

What documents are required?

The application form itself asks for the applicant's details and Aadhaar, the management pattern of the garden (individual or family owned, company owned or lease), the total area and area under cultivation, the year of establishment, years of continuous operation, whether the garden is in the hills or plains, bungalow details including rooms and facilities, geographical coordinates, distances from the airport, railway station, bus stand, police station and city centre, a 200-word write-up on the garden's special features, a table of proposed infrastructure with quantities and amounts, a 500-word project brief, and a statement of how the project will promote the ethnic culture of Assam.

How to apply for the Assam tea tourism infrastructure scheme

1. Wait for the advertisement. Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. is required to give wide publicity through open advertisement in daily newspapers and electronic media before applications open.
2. Obtain the prescribed application form issued by the Managing Director, Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd., 4th Floor, Asom Paryatan Bhawan, A.K. Azad Road, Paltan Bazar, Guwahati 781008.
3. Prepare the project proposal, setting out the infrastructure to be developed, the quantities and the estimated cost, and confirming that your own 50 per cent share is available.
4. Attach all supporting documents; land papers or lease agreement, site plan, five years of CA-certified balance sheets, a financial soundness certificate and the compliance undertaking.
5. Submit the completed form with documents to the Managing Director, ATDC, Guwahati within the date given in the advertisement.
6. Present your proposal before the State Level Committee. Each garden meeting the eligibility criteria has to come up with a presentation on the proposed infrastructure and estimated cost.
7. Host the ATDC physical inspection. ATDC inspects shortlisted gardens to verify feasibility before final selection.
8. Sign the agreement with ATDC once selected, and begin work under the technical guidance of the Expert Committee of engineers and architects appointed by ATDC.

Who decides which tea gardens are selected?

Applications are scrutinised by a State Level Committee (SLC) constituted as follows:

After scrutiny, ATDC carries out a physical inspection of the sites. The SLC then approves the list of eligible tea gardens for implementation, and continues to act as the guiding force for the scheme. Monitoring of implementation rests with the SLC, with ATDC as the implementing agency.

Press reporting in Assam has described the scheme running in phases, with a first phase covering a set of gardens and a further phase extending the list. The authoritative count of selected gardens for any given year is the SLC's approved list, which the Tourism Department and ATDC publish.

What conditions apply after selection?

• The tea garden authority must agree to make its existing guest houses and bungalows available for tea tourist accommodation, renovating them if needed.
• The selected garden must enter into an agreement with ATDC to comply with the guidelines.
• Any new civil construction related to tourism must be carried out under the technical guidance of the Expert Committee of engineers and architects appointed by ATDC.
• The selected garden must act as a tea tourism partner with the Tourism Department for promotion and branding of the tourism sector.
• No destruction of tea plantation area is permitted.

Why applications get rejected

• Lease period short of 15 years from the date of application.
• Missing CA-certified balance sheets for the last five years, or no financial soundness certificate; both go to the applicant's ability to fund the matching 50 per cent.
• Disputed or encroached land, or a garden affected by industrial pollution.
• A vague proposal that does not specify the works, quantities and estimated costs the SLC needs to appraise.
• Claims for items outside the permitted heads, assistance is only for renovation of iconic bungalows and newly created tourism infrastructure.
• Failure at physical inspection, where ATDC engineers find the proposal is not feasible on the ground.

Where to get help

• Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd., 4th Floor, Asom Paryatan Bhawan, A.K. Azad Road, Paltan Bazar, Guwahati 781008, the address printed on the scheme's own application form.
• Tourism Department, Government of Assam, tourism.assam.gov.in, which hosts the scheme guidelines and application form.

Applicants should treat the published guidelines and the current ATDC advertisement as authoritative. The scheme is an institutional infrastructure grant, so no agent can secure a place on the selected list, and no personal benefit flows to individual residents under it.