"Seven tea estates in Vandiperiyar face threat of closure", 10 May 2025

Seven tea estates under the POABS group in Vandiperiyar are facing a facing a threat of closure. According to workers, the management has failed to provide wages and benefits to employees of Pambanar, Granby, Munjamullay (Manjumala), Nellikai, Thengakal, Injikadu, and Pasumallay (Pashumala) estates for the past five months. According to plantation leaders, the seven estates cover a total of 1,440 hectares of land. The estates have 1,400 workers, including 1,100 permanent workers. They have not been receiving their salaries and other benefits from December onwards. ..The workers suspect that the estates are facing a shutdown. ..No harvesting have been going on in the estates at present ..this is also contributing to the loss of the company.

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...Bindu Velayudhan, a worker at Puthukkad division under the Pasumallay estate, said that the delay in the payment of salary has led to difficulties in their day-to-day lives. “We are living in estate layams (cluster homes) and plantation work is the only source of income for our family. For the past 33 years, I have been working in the estate,"..

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..“The income from the seven estates is not enough to manage their day-to-day costs. The company is incurring an annual loss of ₹20 crore while managing the estates and has diverted profits from its sister concerns to cover the management costs,” said a source from the POABS group.