Madurai forum urges TN govt to secure Manjolai estate workers' livelihood

The Samam Kudimakkal Iyakkam, a Madurai-based organisation, has appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to take concrete steps for the rehabilitation of workers of the Manjolai Estate, which has been facing uncertainty over its future. In a press release issued on Friday, the organisation's state president, C.J. Rajan, said that the workers were not begging but asserting their fundamental rights.

Mr. Rajan said that despite sustained struggles by the workers to establish their livelihood, neither the Union nor the State government had taken any tangible action in this regard. The Manjolai Estate, located in the Western Ghats, has been embroiled in issues concerning the legal status and future of its workers for the past couple of years.

The workers and their families have toiled in the estate for more than four decades. Mr. Rajan argued that irrespective of whether the eviction of workers was legally valid or not, the governments had a moral responsibility to protect them. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to announce a comprehensive package to ensure the livelihood of the workers.

The forum highlighted that the government had not earmarked any funds exclusively for the rehabilitation of the Manjolai Estate workers. Mr. Rajan also noted that the government was expected to receive approximately ₹4,650 crore in arrears from the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation, which operates the estate. He demanded that a portion of these funds be allocated for the welfare of the workers.

Additionally, the forum called for providing dwelling units for landless workers, job opportunities for the unemployed, and educational support for the children of workers. Mr. Rajan said the organisation would continue its campaign and approach the court to seek legal remedies for the social security of the workers. He expressed hope that the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu would take stock of the real situation and take steps to rescue the workers.