In 2015, the district was in the news mainly for Pengal Otrumai, the collective of women workers in the Kanan Deven Hills Plantations Ltd. in Munnar, that came to the forefront for agitating against the alleged exploitation of tea plantation workers by the trade unions in connivance with the estate managements. The agitation was led by women sans the support of any trade unions or political parties and it succeeded in bringing their cause to the collective conscience of the public. National and international media came in support of the agitating women and finally the political establishment bowed before the poor workers.
The agitation proved that even without the support of powerful trade unions, workers could force the government to revise the wages. Moreover, the agitation brought to light the grievances hither to suppressed by the trade unions and the powerful estate managements.
It was the public support that gave the collective the confidence to contest the local body polls and win a seat in the block panchayat and seats in Munnar and Devikulam grama panchayats. Later the movement started showing signs of degeneration with the two factions joining in separate platforms and fighting each other. The agitation launched by the collective remained a glorious chapter in the strike for protecting the rights of plantation workers.
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The agriculture sector in the district went to a crisis with the prices of cash crops like cardamom, pepper, rubber and coffee nose-diving, badly hitting the economy of the district. The farmers who were in a crisis due to high labour and production cost found it difficult to continue in farming. The average prices of cardamom fell to Rs.550 a kg. Pepper is traded at Rs.610 a kg, a sudden fall from Rs.700 a kg after the beginning of the harvest season.
The rubber prices are yet to reach over Rs.100 a kg in the local shops, while the prices of coffee per kg remained at Rs.100. Except cardamom, there was a drop in production of all cash crops in the district.
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Ghats reports
The Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats continued to create ripples in the district with the issue being a main poll plank in the last local body election. Land prices in the district continued to fall, which the real estate sources termed as the result of the reports on the Western Ghats.
The tourism sector took a new height with some of the projects coming into reality in 2015. Though there was an increase in domestic tourist arrivals to lesser known places like Ramakkalmedu and Wagamon, the arrival of foreigners declined in the initial months of this tourist session, especially in Munnar and Thekkady.
Dam issue
The Mullaperiyar issue continued to haunt the people living downstream of the dam. Though, this was the second year the water level reached the maximum level of 142 ft. The dam was opened five times to release water through the Periyar after unexpected rainfall upstream. It was the main issue that continued to confront the two States of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
From Munnar stir to Mullaperiyar issue, Idukki was in the news all through 2015