Uncertainty over felling aged rubber trees in the estate of Harrisons Malayalam Limited (HML) spread out in Aryankavu and Thenmala panchayats of Kollam district is triggering tension among the plantation workers attached to the estate.
The workers fear many of them could lose their jobs soon if there is delay in carrying out the routine process. Thousands of rubber trees in the estate that have been slaughter tapped are aged and ready for felling. But the management is unable to fell the trees because formal permission for that has to come from the Revenue Department.
This is because the estate stands on land leased by the government. To fell each tree the HML management has to deposit an amount of Rs.2,500 with the government. Earlier, the amount to be deposited was Rs.900 per tree, but the United Democratic Front government hiked the fee.
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Workers of the estate who are on strike demanding wage hike said that the HML management had deposited about Rs.26 crore for felling the aged trees in the estate.
Once the permit is given the management can fell and sell the trees. At current market rate each could fetch Rs.6,000.
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The trees mainly go as raw material for the plywood industry based at Perumbavur.
The workers said that aged trees in 900 hectares of HML estate in the area had to be felled and that the process should have commenced two years ago.
These trees haven’t been tapped for latex for the past two years. Rubber trees are usually felled when they reach 35 years.
While permit to fell rubber trees in other private plantation on leased government land was promptly given, permit for the same to the HML estate in the area was withheld since long, the workers alleged.