Tea Association of India secretary (the Dooars branch) R.A. Sharma said they wanted the Board, which works under the commerce ministry, to set up three testing centres to speed up Covid-19 tests in the tea belt and ease pressure on existing testing hubs. (Shutterstock)Tea industry representatives have requested the Tea Board of India to set up Covid-19 testing centres in the Dooars belt. So far, swab samples from the Dooars tea belt are being tested at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital lab. “We want the Board to open testing facilities or labs in Banarhat, Malbazar and Nagrakata,” said Amitangshu Chakraborty, principal advisor, Indian Tea Planters’ Association. Contacted, Tea Board deputy chairman Arun Kumar Roy briefly said said that they were working under Union home ministry guidelines.

Source: The Telegraph June 11, 2020 22:17 UTC