E-auction at Siliguri tea centre

Siliguri, Oct. 5: The electronic auction system was today introduced at the Siliguri Tea Auction Centre, replacing the 150-year-old manual outcry system that had existed only here.

“The centre in Siliguri is the last one in the country where e-auction was introduced. From today, the entire auction process of Indian tea across the country will be done electronically,” said Basudeb Banerjee, the Tea Board of India chairman. India became the sole nation among tea producing countries in the world to have completely introduced e-auction. Since its inception in 1976, the Siliguri centre has sold altogether 2,421 million kg of tea till September this year.

“The e-auction system, on trial here from 2009, has disposed of 23 million kg of tea till the last week’s sale,” said Gangadhar Nakipuria, the STAC chairman.

Spit Sir axed

Siliguri: Trinamul Congress councillor of Siliguri Ranjan Sil Sharma, a primary teacher who had squirted betel leaf juice on the face of a district inspector of schools here on June 8 last year, was expelled from the party on Tuesday for six years for alleged anti-party activities, Trinamul district president Gautam Deb said. Sil Sharma, who had won the last year’s civic polls as an Independent after being denied ticket by the party, had later rejoined Trinamul.

ABGL dharna

Darjeeling: The ABGL will sit on a dharna in front of Writers’ Buildings from Saturday to press for the arrest of the main culprits in the Madan Tamang murder and to oppose the formation of an interim set-up for the hills. Twenty-one ABGL members, led by Tamang’s son Sanjog, will participate in the demonstration.

Vehicle strike

Siliguri: The Terai Chalak Sangathan and the Siliguri Taxi Owners’ Welfare Association started an indefinite strike from Tuesday, protesting the alleged harassment of their members in the hills. Amal Khawas, the association secretary, said his organisation would not allow any small commercial vehicle to go to the hills and would stop similar vehicles coming down from plying in Siliguri.