Wayanad: As the state government moves to take over Elston Estate in Wayanad to rehabilitate those affected by the Mundakkai and Chooralmala landslides, uncertainty looms over the distribution of benefits to the estate workers. With the estate being repurposed into a township for the displaced, 160 workers stand to lose their employment. The workers are now preparing for a protest without any assurances from the authorities regarding job security.

Elston Estate employs a total of 300 workers across its three divisions, including some who continue working post-retirement. According to the workers, the estate management owes them ₹11 crore in pending benefits.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the proposed township on March 27 at a grand function to be attended by Opposition Leader VD Satheesan and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi. Authorities have already begun preparations, including setting up the stage at the estate.

However, the Elston Estate Joint Protest Council has declared that workers will not vacate the land without receiving their dues. Their pending benefits include the salary of four months, Provident Fund dues since 2016, gratuity and medical benefits worth seven years, two years of leave wages, a bonus for four years, compensation for weather-protective gear and wage revision arrears of two years, among other things.

Government to intervene
The Labour Commissioner has scheduled a meeting on March 24 in Thiruvananthapuram to address the issue. Representatives from the estate management and major trade unions, including the Wayanad Estate Labour Union (CITU), Malabar Estate Workers Union (INTUC), Estate Mazdoor Union (HMS), and Kozhikode District Plantation Labour Congress (INTUC), have been invited.

The estate management has stated that employee dues will be settled only after receiving compensation from the government. However, workers remain firm in their stance, insisting they will not vacate without full payment.

The state government has proposed acquiring 64.4075 hectares of estate land for the township, and a recent cabinet decision has approved a ₹26.56 crore compensation package for the estate owners.

High Court to hear petitions on March 24
Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court has admitted petitions filed by Harrisons Malayalam Ltd. and Elston Tea Estate Ltd. challenging the acquisition of their land under the Disaster Management Act for landslide rehabilitation. The petitions are scheduled for hearing on March 24.

 Advocate General K Gopalakrishna Kurup has informed the court that the Chief Minister would proceed with the foundation stone ceremony on March 27. The Bench, led by Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice S Manu, emphasised that the case required a detailed hearing and could not be decided hastily.

The first phase of township construction is planned on 78.73 hectares of Elston Estate land. The Advocate General also conveyed the government’s willingness to deposit the compensation amount for estate owners either with the Sub-Court of Sulthan Bathery or the High Court Registry. He further clarified that the government would not acquire 65.41 hectares of land in the Harrison Estate.

Counsel representing the estates argued that compensation should be paid directly to them, citing the previous order of the High Court single bench which had ruled in their favour.