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Thalgaswala Estate workers complain of intimidation
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Pix and text by Janath Silva
Estate workers of the Niyagama, Thalgaswala Estate claim they are being targeted by hoodlums at the instigation of parties attempting to foist strike action at the estate.
According to both workers and estate management,interested parties have been trying to whip up protests and persuade workers to come out on strike.
The instigators are allegedly making false allegations that management is planning to cut down valuable trees and plants within a small forest reserve surrounding a tank within the estate.
The instigators claim management is attempting to clear the forest reserve to expand more land for the planting of tea.
Estate management has vehemently rejected the allegations stressing they plan to merely clear a small stretch of uncultivated land in the vicinity of the tea factory.
Mr. Kumara, Superintendent of the estate stressed the land did not fall within the forest reserve and said the trees which had been felled were used to repair line rooms on the estate and the factory.
Workers claim that some trade unionists at the estate,who having failed to persuade workers to protest or go on strike, had now resorted to using intimidation as a means of coercing workers.
An official of the Nagoda office of the Department of Forest Conservation confirmed they had received a complaint regarding large scale forest clearance inside the one acre forest reserve inside the estate.
He added his inquiries revealed no evidence of valuable trees being felled without permit. He said the trees he did find were old trees which had deteriorated and from the uncultivated strip of land.
The, Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Nagoda police station, Sumedha Wimalagunaratne confirmed police had received a similar complaint and upon investigation found no evidence to substantiate the charge.
Management said the timber was used to repair line rooms
According to management only a small strip of uncultivated land was cleared
Most of the trees were found to be old
Markings on the logs indicated they were not illegally felled
Felled trees with clearly indicated markings
The Nagoda police said they found no evidence to substantiate charges
