Safeguard livelihood of TANTEA workers, OPS tells Stalin

CHENNAI: Former chief minister and ousted AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam on Tuesday demanded the Tamil Nadu government to revoke its order to hand over Tamil Nadu Tea Plantation Corporation's 2,152 hectares of tea plantation to forest department to safeguard the livelihood of hundreds of workers. He sought the immediate intervention of Chief Minister M K Stalin in the issue to redress the grievance of the workers and ensure their livelihood

TANTEA was established in 1968 by then chief minister CN Annadurai to create livelihood for Tamils, who repatriated from Sri Lanka under Sirimavo-Shastri pact. The then government had also provided housing facilities.

However, the present government’s decision to hand over 2,152 hectares out of 4,053 hectares of the tea plantation of TANTEA would result in closure of seven units in Valparai and The Nilgiris. It would create unemployment to several hundreds of tea plantation workers and jeopardise their livelihood. The authorities were also forcing the labourers to vacate the labourers’ quarters, said OPS

Under the banner of ‘Dravidian Model’ government, the ruling party has been indulging in “hate model” governance, he said and strongly condemned the Stalin government. He demanded the immediate intervention of the Chief Minister to address the issue to ensure the welfare of the tea plantation workers.