May 10: The Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) is pondering over measures to mobilise resources after the government turned a deaf ear to Jayanta Madhab committee’s recommendation that a small share of the taxes collected by the auction centre be ploughed back into it.

The Jayanta Madhab committee on tea had recommended last year that .025 per cent of the sales tax collected by the GTAC on sale of tea be given back to it for generating revenue. The GTAC had collected Rs 9 crore as sales tax.

GTAC sources said it would become very difficult for the auction centre to expand its operations, as the recommendations have not been implemented yet.

The total annual budget of the centre is Rs 38 lakh, which it gets as annual registration fees from buyers and sellers. ?It is difficult to request the buyers and the sellers to pay more in times of recession for the industry,? a source said.

The committee had recommended that one or more auction centres be set up in Upper Assam as the GTAC, with its present capacity (including warehousing capacity), would not be able to handle if large quantities of Assam tea, around 430 million kg, were to come through the auction. If the GTAC has to open more centres, additional revenue would have to be generated.

Sources said various avenues are being tapped to generate extra revenue. Plans are being chalked out to rent out portions of the GTAC building. A hall has already been rented out to Camellia Tea Centre for grooming youths wanting to join the tea industry. Hoardings will also be allowed on top of the GTAC building for this purpose.

Resource mobilisation has also become important after introduction of electronic auctions at the centre. ?The Tea Board will not bear the cost for more than three years and the centre will have to think of measures fast for maintaining the system,? the source said.

The government has also not adhered to the committee’s recommendation that a person from the tea industry be appointed vice-chairman of the GTAC to look after its affairs. The GTAC’s chairman is generally the chief secretary of the state who does not have much time to look into its affairs.

The committee pointed out that plain and medium varieties of tea were being offered at the Guwahati tea auction centre, compared with the Calcutta tea auction centre which gets better varieties of Assam tea.