TIRUNELVELI: With the Lok Sabha polls around the corner, Manjolai tea estate workers, who will soon be evicted from the hills as the 99-year lease period of the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Ltd (BBTCL) is set to end in 2028, on Thursday demanded that the candidate who gets elected as their new MP must take steps to provide them with free patta lands and houses in the plains, under state or central government schemes.
Stating that their entire livelihood will be lost after relocation, women workers of the estate told TNIE that as the BBTCL has already begun settlement talks, this could be their last election in Manjolai hills. “Though there are over 2,000 voters among us residing in these hilly hamlets — Manjolai, Kakkachi, Naalumukku and Oothu — neither candidates nor their supporters have bothered to visit us as part of their parliamentary election campaigns. We want assurance from the Congress, AIADMK, BJP and NTK candidates that they will provide us free patta lands and houses in the plains, once we get evicted,” they added.
According to the workers, BBTCL has agreed to grant a settlement amount ranging between Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5.5 lakh to those who are willing to opt for the voluntary retirement scheme. “However, we will not be able to buy land and construct houses in the plains using this money. Hence, the state government should help us in availing a larger settlement amount from the company,” opined G Manohar, an estate worker.
Claiming that the MPs who were elected from the Tirunelveli constituency did not pay enough visits to the hills to address their demands, Manohar added, “The sitting MP, S Gnanathiraviam, had visited a church in Manjolai only once in last five years. As a result, many of us did not get a chance to express our demands to him. Most of the women here are not even receiving the monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000.”
Vimal Kumar, a native of Manjolai, urged the state government to take over the tea estate after BMTCL’s 99-year lease period ends and continue to offer employment to workers.
When contacted by TNIE, District Election Officer-cum-Collector KP Karthikeyan assured that the state government will address all the concerns raised by the Manjolai workers. “There is a special committee functioning under the collector, comprising officials of revenue and forest departments to ensure the welfare of the workers, and its modalities will be discussed after the polls,” he added.