MADURAI: Tamil Nadu Tea Plantation Corporation (TANTEA) before the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court said it was not feasible to take over possession of the Manjolai estate from the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation (BBTC).
D Venkatesh, Managing Director of TANTEA in a status report filed before the court on Thursday, said it is facing a severe financial crisis and unable to meet day-to-day expenses. Owing to continuous loss over the last three decades, the TANTEA lacks the financial capacity to take over the Manjolai estates in Tirunelveli district.
The area leased out to the BBTC could not be taken over by the TANTEA as the notification issued under Section 16 of the Forest Act in 2018 declares the entire extent of the Singampatti Zamin lands including BBTC’s leasehold lands as Reserve Forest subject to the leasehold rights, which expires in 2028.
Therefore, any change in the lease and the event of TANTEA taking over the Manjolai would be violative of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and also against the orders of the Supreme Court.
Earlier, a few petitioners, who belong to Manjolai, Tirunelveli district and K Krishnasamy, president, Puthiya Tamilagam, sought the intervention of the court seeking to protect the rights of workers, who should not be evicted. The petitioners stated that the BBTC is trying to evict the workers.
After the hearing, a division bench comprising Justice R. Suresh Kumar and Justice G Arul Murugan said the Manjolai estate workers should not be evicted until the final judgement is rendered. If any worker is evicted, then they could go for contempt of court. The case was adjourned for further hearing on August 7.