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Pressmen stumble on cause of estate lines fire

From P. Rajaratnam in Nuwara Eliya

An independent investigation by members of the press in the hill country regarding the recent destruction of a few living lines of the Estate workers in the Agrapathana and Talwakelle plantation areas revealed it was due to the inferior electric wiring done by unqualified or inexperienced persons within the Estates.

It was further revealed through responsible management sources and even the affected workers, that the so called Estate Committee Leaders, popularly known as the "Thalaivars" undertake such tasks like the inferior wiring and other contracts by employing inexperienced men to do the job in order to make quick 'buck' commission by such undertakings. A senior manager said that it has come to a point that some of these so called Estate committee 'Thalaivars', make such commissions from the time a child was born, to the time when workmen or female workers obtain their legitimate dues from their employers.

It was also revealed during these investigations that these men together with few others like professionals were responsible in recruiting young boys and girls and despatch them to houses in Colombo and elsewhere for domestic employment, in order to get a commission or large sums, thus depriving them parental care and education. A senior plantation chief said it was a welcome gesture that the CWC leader and Minister Arumugam Thondaman has taken steps even at this late stage to probe as to how the fires destroyed the living lines of workers and also how the young children were lured into domestic employment outside the plantations.

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