Major tea estate in Pandalur transports body of deceased worker on tractor

Parry Agro tea estate criticized for transporting deceased worker on tractor, highlighting lack of dignity for plantation workers.

A major tea plantation in Pandalur, run by the Parry Agro group, has come in for harsh criticism from local plantation workers and workers’ rights advocates after they transported the body of a retired tea estate worker on a tractor recently.

The incident occurred around a week ago, when the retired worker, R. Sundari, suddenly fell ill and was taken to a hospital that was run by the estate in Mango Range in Pandalur. Sundari’s husband, Ravi, still works for the estate, local estate workers said. Despite undergoing treatment, Sundari died from her illness, they said, alleging that the estate only provided a tractor to transport Sundari and her family back to their home at Athima Nagar, located near the estate.

K. Sagadevan, the general secretary of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi’s Labour Liberation Front from the Nilgiris, told The Hindu that almost all tea estates in the region, including the government-run Tamil Nadu Tea Plantation Corporation (TANTEA) have failed in their duty to treat their workers with dignity and respect. “It is not just Parry Agro, but all other estates too do not have hearses to transport deceased workers from the hospitals to their homes,” he said, adding that strict action must be taken against estates that have failed in their obligations towards their workers.

He also called on the estates to build new housing for labourers that will allow them to access public and private transportation. “As many of the labour lines are located away from the roads, ambulances and hearses cannot reach these homes. It is the duty of the estates to ensure that these people, who are also at risk from animal attacks, have access to basic amenities,” he added.

When contacted, Revenue Divisional Officer (Gudalur) A. Senthil Kumar said that they had only come to learn of the incident two days after Sundari’s death. “We had called the estate management to attend a meeting, where they were strictly warned against such practices,” said Mr. Senthil Kumar, who added that a report has been sought from the Labour Department as to the sequence of events that unfolded and led to Sundari’s body being transported on the back of a tractor.