Waive professional tax for tea estate workers, says PT chief

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Published: 30 Aug 2023

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Waive professional tax for tea estate workers, says PT chief

News – The Hindu

The Puthiya Thamizhagam will organise a series of agitations if the professional tax being fleeced from the Manjolai tea estate workers by the Manimuthar Town Panchayat is not waived, party founder K. Krishnasamy has said.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, Dr. Krishnasamy said professional tax is not being collected from the farm workers and hence the collection of professional tax from the tea estate workers is illegal. However, the Manimuthar Town Panchayat administration is collecting the professional tax from the Manjolai tea estate workers, which should be stopped immediately.

“If not, the PT will start staging a series of agitations against this illegal practice being allowed by the Tamil Nadu Government. The first protest of this series will start from September third week, in which the PT will organise hunger strike here,” he said.

While condemning the delay in re-laying the 39-km-long road on the Western Ghats between Manimuthar dam check-post and Ooththu beyond Manjolai, he said the Tamil Nadu Government should allocate sufficient funds for this work immediately and complete it before the onset of northeast monsoon in October.

The PT leader also highlighted the problems being faced by the students living in Manjolai, Ooththu, Nalumukku, Kakkachi and Kuthiraivetti, all tea estates, in attending online classes due to non-availability of 4G service in the Western Ghats.

“Since 2G service is available in a few areas, thanks to the BSNL transmission tower at Nalumukku, it can be used only for ordinary communication. Besides upgrading this 2G service to 4G service, new mobile phone transmission towers should be erected at vantage points considering the education of the children of tea estate workers,” he said.

He also alleged that the forest department was collecting toll from the relatives of the tea estate workers and others going to this hilly region for party works at Manimuthar dam check-post.