Mobile ATMs to disburse salary to estate workers

Valparai Nagara Kooturavu Vangi president V. Hameed, who participated in the meeting, said that salary used to be disbursed between the 7th and 10th of every month. Many of them could not get salary due to the cash crunch. There are close to 40,000 labourers working in these estates. “They deposited the salary in the bank accounts of the workers. But they could not withdraw. There are only three banks in Valparai Town – SBI, Indian Bank and Union Bank. But workers are from remote villages and hamlets that are 20 to 40 km away from the town.”  

He said labourers had to forego wages and travel to the town to withdraw money. This was amidst threat from wild animals. But was not worth the risk as money was not available. The issue was taken to the notice of the local minister and top officials, after which the Coimbatore District Collector convened a meeting at the Collectorate on Tuesday. District lead bank manager A. Kanagaraj said that they will be holding talks with the estate owners and plantation workers unions at Valparai on Wednesday morning and decide on the place and time of disbursing money. They were yet to decided on the amount that would be given to them. He also said that it was a onetime measure. 

All India Bank Employees’ Association and All India Bank Officers’ Association announced agitational programmes.   As part of it, demonstrations will be held in all centres on December 28. All the Unions will write a letter to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and a dharna will be held before a bank in all state capitals and important centres.

The MGNREGS workers from Jayankondam village resorted to a road block after the bank refused to disburse their wages citing that there was no cash with them.

It is said, the workers from Variankaval village in Jayankondam have been availing wages from the Indian Overseas Bank. On Tuesday, all of them were standing in a long queue to withdraw their wages. It is said, after a few hours, the bank officials announced that they did not have enough funds to disburse to the workers. They were asked to come to the bank on the next day. This irritated the  workers who blocked the Senthurai-Jayankondam road and as a result traffic was affected for more than an hour on the stretch. Subsequently, Jayankondam police rushed to the spot and held talks with the agitating workers who dispersed later.