THOOTHUKUDI: The Unorganised Workers Federation, during a grievance redressal meeting on Monday, demanded that the state government disburse festival bonus ahead of Deepavali to all the unorganised workers through the respective welfare boards.
As the state legislative Assembly is convening for a session on Tuesday, the federation urged the government to pass a resolution to protect the welfare boards from being dissolved due to the union government’s consolidation of 44 labour laws into four codes.
Unorganised Workers Federation district organiser M Kirshnamoorthy submitted a petition in this regard to Collector K Elambahavath, who chaired the meeting at the collectorate.
Meanwhile, SDPI cadre objected to the granting of permission for a stone quarry at Srimoolakarai village panchayat. M Sheik Hasnaf Ali, SDPI district secretary and former vice president of the panchayat, said the village has more than 10 functioning stone quarries that are detrimental to the livelihood of the residents, farmers and livestock.
Though the panchayat is located closer to the Vallanadu Wildlife Sanctuary and the Sivagalai archaeological site, the geology and mines department has been granting permission for quarries with little concern for public interest, he claimed.
Ali said the public and cattle are affected due to depleting groundwater level, dust pollution, and round-the-clock movement of heavy vehicles, besides alleging that miners exploit natural wealth beyond the permissible limit with the connivance of officials.
The SDPI district secretary threatened to stage a huge protest if the department continues to grant permission for stone quarries, adding that a politician has applied for a stone quarry in the region.
While the meeting was underway, Saraswathi, a resident of Vallanadu, attempted self-immolation on the collectorate premises. The police personnel on duty rescued the woman.
Later, speaking to reporters, the woman alleged that the police had foisted a case and remanded her son Uthandaraman, who was recently married. “Police plan to detain him under the Goondas Act,” she alleged, adding that her daughter-in-law had been threatening to commit suicide if Uthandaraman was not released before the festival.
Uthandaraman has multiple cases pending against him, including one for peddling ganja, the police said.
(To overcome suicidal thoughts, contact TN health helpline 104 or Sneha’s Suicide Prevention helpline 044-24640050.)
