KALPETTA: Reigniting hopes among the landslide-battered community in Wayanad, Harrison Malayalam’s Sentinel Rock tea factory at Mundakkai has resumed operations first time since the 2024 catastrophe. The move is a step towards rebuilding the hill villages of Mundakkai, Attamala and Chooralmala, which have been grappling with economic paralysis and personal loss.
One of Wayanad’s largest tea-processing units, the Sentinel Rock factory was shut down after 85% of its workforce was wiped out in the landslide. Many families lost multiple members, and surviving residents were forced to migrate in search of work. Government restrictions in hazardous zones and an acute labour shortage halted all activities in the 515-hectare estate, long considered the economic lifeline of the region.
Factory manager Reji V said the reopening is both an emotional and economic milestone. “The landslide hit the factory heavily. Eighty per cent of our employees were affected. We lost 43 of our co-workers that day. If we count their family members, the number will climb to 98,” he said. “With government curbs, the plantation suffered immense losses. Many temporary workers were stranded without jobs.”
Before the tragedy, the factory employed 50 permanent workers. Today, only 15 remain on the rolls.
“Dozens died in the landslide, and many took transfers to other estates. When we decided to reopen the factory, we reached out to the surviving workers. Only two employees have returned. Troubled from trauma, a majority of them chose not to return.
The rest are guest workers from Assam,” Reji said. With reduced manpower, the factory has restarted only the withering stage of tea processing, sending processed leaves to Harrison Malayalam’s Arapetta and Chundel factories for further stages.
Once operating round-the-clock in three shifts, the factory now functions on restricted hours, from 6am to 6pm, after being shut for nearly 18 months. During the closure, green leaves plucked from all four estate divisions had to be transported to distant factories, increasing costs and slowing production. Assamese workers have now taken over the jobs of the landslide victims. They are now residing in the plantation quarters, once a peace hub of many Mundakkai residents.
85% workers wiped out
One of Wayanad’s largest tea-processing units, the Sentinel Rock factory was shut down after 85% of its workforce was wiped out in the landslide. Many families lost multiple members, and surviving residents were forced to migrate in search of work. Before the tragedy, the factory employed 50 permanent workers. Today, only 15 remain on the rolls