MADURAI: Many workers, who largely relied on plantation crops in estates at Manjolai, Oothu and its surrounding hilly areas in Ambasamudram taluk of Tirunelveli district, are facing threat to livelihoods after the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation (BBTC announced winding up of operations even before the lease expiry.
On Wednesday, the workers at Oothu were seen together to prepare porridge and consuming, in expectation of a verdict from Madurai bench of the Madras High Court. However, the hearing was adjourned to August 14. The aggrieved workers have been rendered jobless for almost 45 days now and unfortunately are not accustomed to doing any other work.
Earlier, the BBTC came up with a voluntary retirement package for the workers as they could not proceed with operations further. However, many workers claimed that they were being compelled by the BBTC to vacate Manjolai and its neighbouring plantation areas and filed petitions seeking the intervention of the High Court to secure their jobs. But the BBTC before the Madurai bench of Madras High Court already stated that 534 workers accepted the VRS and nobody has been forced to vacate.
The case came up for hearing before the bench comprising Justice R Subramanian and Justice L Victoria Gowri. The case was then posted to further hearing with detailed argument on August 14.