The Hindu : Kerala News : Trade unions strengthen blockade at Chengara

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Friday, Sep 05, 2008
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Kerala

Trade unions strengthen blockade at Chengara

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor

CHENGARA (Pathanamthitta dist.): The year-long agitation for land at Chengara under the aegis of the Sadhu Jana Vimochana Samyukta Vedi (SJVSV) is set to enter a new phase with plantation workers deciding to strengthen their month-long road blockade by extending it to round the clock from Wednesday.

A group of SJVSV activists allegedly made an attempt to break the human barrier formed by nearly 50 women owing allegiance to different trade unions on the road leading to the Kumbazha Estate on Wednesday morning. Trade union leaders Malayalappuzha Mohan (CITU) and Jyotishkumar Malayalappuzha (INTUC) alleged that the SJVSV activists were armed and had threatened the women workers taking part in the blockade. The Vedi activists retreated to the estate when the police personnel on duty and other plantation workers rushed to the spot.

Meanwhile, SJVSV president Laha Gopalan and secretary Seleena Prakkanam clarified that the Vedi workers wanted to go out of the estate to collect food.

Charges raised

“The trade union leaders’ allegation that the Vedi workers were armed was part of a dubious design to label the landless people as extremist elements,” alleged Vijayan Mothiravayal, SJVSV convener at Chengara.

The SJVSV leaders said they had started rubber tapping a few months ago to earn their livelihood after the government failed to redress their grievances.

Subversive tactics

“Instead of redressing our grievances and allotting us land, the government and the ruling CPI(M) are trying to sabotage the peaceful stir through subversive tactics,” alleged A.K. Bava, a 64-year-old man from Vaikom who has been staying in the occupied area for the past six months.

As per the Vedi’s claims, as many as 24,000 people belonging to 7,282 families are occupying about 14,000 acres of land at the Kumbazha Estate. The number of make-shift huts pitched at the estate will be around 7,800, says Ms. Seleena.

“The road blockade launched by the trade unions has denied our people food or transportation. We cannot take the sick and pregnant women to hospitals. Waterborne diseases have spread in the occupied land,” say the Vedi leaders.

“We will not leave the place without getting land. The land allotment should be uniform for all landless people, above caste and creed considerations,” said Ms. Seleena in reply to a question on the proposal to allot land to only the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe sections

Meanwhile, plantation workers say the encroachment of the private estate has denied them their livelihood.

“We are not against allotment of land to the landless poor people, if any, among the encroachers. But it should not affect our job prospects,” say Koshy Baby and V.R. Shaji, plantation workers’ trade union leaders.

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