Workers of the erstwhile Buckingham and Carnatic (B & C) Mills staged a protest on Monday, demanding allocation of 500 square feet of land each for 2,300 workers. They sought the State government’s intervention to help them get the residential land.
The workers staged a demonstration on Barracks Land at Pattalam, one of the quarters for mill workers.
The mill, which was closed in 1996, had nearly 4,300 workers. As per an agreement then, workers received a compensation of Rs. 1.25 lakh each along with provident fund and gratuity in two instalments. Many of the workers were residing in the mill quarters – Barracks Land at Pattalam, Venkateswara village at Dasamakhan, Carnatic village at Mettupalayam and Vysarpadi Jeeva village, according to D. Pugazhendhi, general secretary of The Madras Labour Union (B & C Mill).
“There are a total of 726 houses situated on 32 acres of land. While some of the workers vacated the quarters, about 300 continued to reside there. In 2008, the management gave 500 square feet of land each to 244 workers so that the pending cases against the mill management are withdrawn,” he added.
Recently, workers and their families residing at Barracks land, Pattalam vacated their houses and moved to the quarters at Mettupalayam where the 500 sq.ft. land was allocated. “Now, a realtor has paid an advance amount for purchasing close to 14 acres of the land in Pattalam. The houses have been demolished. We do not want the land to be sold. Instead, it should be allotted to other workers,” he noted.
The union members said that currently, nearly 2,300 workers live in various parts of the city. While a few have died, many others have moved out of the State.
