The Hindu : Their tales of woes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 21, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Their tales of woes

By George Jacob

KOTTAYAM Oct. 20. The fact-finding mission of the Leader of the Opposition, V.S. Achuthanandan, on Sunday took him to the interiors of the crisis ravaged plantations in Peermade taluk with labourers in hundreds pouring in with their tales of woes -- many have no work and no wages, some others have jobs but no wages, many have been living on subsistence allowance for the past many months, but many others are denied even that as their managements had `abandoned' the plantations.

At least eight deaths during the past three weeks could be directly attributed to the crisis in the plantation industry, four of them suicides. Sixtyfive-year-old Mathai of Granby estate took poison when he could not find money for medicine, Chudala of Wagamon estate near Elappara hanged himself to death when he could not bear hunger, Kaasimayan of Cheenthalar estate too took the shortcut by consuming poison.

However, the most depressing story came from the Pasumalai estate where 14-year-old Velankanni hanged herself when she found that her parents could not afford a set of school uniforms in spite of repeated warnings from her school authorities.

Sixtyfive-year-old Kunjappy of Cheenthalar estate, Chinnathambi (40) of Lone Tree estate, and seven-year-old Manikantan of Pasumalai estate died of want of proper medical care.

``At least, the labourers are getting subsistence allowance, but we are even denied that,'' a nurse at the medical centre of the Granby estate told the Opposition leader. The hospital which had referral status before the onset of the crisis, has no medicines and no patients now. Out of the two medical officers, one is on leave and the other employees come to the hospital every day and wait endlessly.

The Opposition leader did not come empty-handed. The LDF has launched relief operations by distributing rice to the needy. Fiftyfive bags of rice collected by the CPI(M) from Kottayam and Ernakulam and 34 bags of rice collected by the Poonjar MLA, P.C. George, (KC-M), have already reached Peermade for distribution. The party would distribute 1,00,000 kg of rice as the first phase of the relief operations.

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Their tales of woes