News Tamil Nadu

Manjolai Estate Workers Face Eviction Threat, Seek Government Intervention To Safeguard Livelihoods

June 11, 2024
The Commune

Manjolai is located within the Western Ghats region adjacent to the Ambasamudram in the Tirunelveli district. The region hosts a tea plantation managed by a private company known as Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Ltd (BBTCL), where over 500 workers and their families reside. Despite being designated as a protected forest area, a court order mandates the evacuation of the private tea company by 2028 as the 99-year lease period ends.

Given this circumstance, the tea estate management has issued a notice for all workers to vacate the premises by the end of June, with voluntary retirement options being offered. In response, representatives from the Manjolai People’s Welfare Association are engaging with various leaders to safeguard the livelihoods of the plantation workers. Recently, a consultation meeting involving multiple political parties such as AIADMK, DMK, BJP, and Congress convened to address this issue.

During the meeting, attendees discussed strategies to preserve the local community’s means of living. A collective plea was made to meet with the District Collector to advocate for the residents’ rights to remain in the area. Former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Avudayappan, highlighted to the District Collector the discrepancy in the tea estate management’s demand for immediate evacuation against the court-ordered deadline of 2028.

Furthermore, it was stressed that the Tamil Nadu government should intervene promptly to protect the livelihoods of the Manjolai residents. Suggestions were made for the Tamil Nadu Government Tea Estate Corporation to assume control of the Manjolai Tea Estate. A petition signed by leaders of various political parties urged the District Collector to postpone the evacuation deadline and ensure access to education for local students. Additionally, the petition proposed the construction of apartments to support the retired tea plantation workers. The District Collector assured the meeting attendees that the petition would be forwarded to the government for review and consideration.

More than 2,000 residents currently inhabit the mountainous villages of Manjolai, Kakkachi, Naalumukku, and Oothu in the Manjolai hills. Their entire means of sustenance is at risk following the proposed relocation. According to female workers at the estate, this upcoming election in the Manjolai hills could potentially be their final one, as settlement discussions have already commenced with BBTCL.

BBTCL has indicated willingness to provide a settlement ranging from ₹2.5 lakh to ₹5.5 lakh to those who opt for the voluntary retirement scheme. However, residents express concern that this amount would not suffice for purchasing land and building houses in the plains with estate workers suggesting that the state government should intervene to negotiate a larger settlement with the company on behalf of the affected residents.

Regarding this matter, a female resident working at the tea estate conveyed to the reporters, “We are in Manjolai Estate, we have been living and working here for 5 generations. I was there till I turned 55. Now going from Naalumukku is a pain, we came here to give the petition to the collector and hope that he will give us a favorable verdict. He did not take any action, instead sent us out stating the company has given you a good compensation offer. He sent us out stating that if we violated this, we would be terminated without VRS, and expelled us. He asked to cancel our petition and sent us out. We think that the collector has taken money through the company because the collector is there to resolve the grievances of the people, now I think the collector is there to take bribes and not to resolve the grievances of the people. He should be helping the poor, but he is only helping for the company’s money. A proper reply to the petition given to the collector should be known. They had asked us to come to give a petition today, they did this to those who came, they didn’t even see us.”

(with inputs from ABPNadu)

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