The year-wise removal stood at 7.67 hectares in 2019-20, 0.4 hectares in 2020-21, 1.57 hectares in 2021-22, 0.7 hectares in 2022-23 and 0.89 hectares in 2023-24, data said.
The Chief Minister said the state government subsidy of Rs 10 per kg in orthodox tea was inspiring Assam tea gardens to convert from CTC tea to orthodox tea.
The ruling comes amid alarming statistics revealing that approximately 11,900 hectares of the total 53.48 lakh hectares of vital ecological area were illegally occupied, as of April 2023.
