Kerala govt to speed up legal action for Elston Estate workers' dues

Thiruvananthapuram | The Kerala government on Friday decided to expedite legal proceedings to ensure retrenchment benefits are provided to the labourers of Elston Estate in Wayanad, which has been acquired for the rehabilitation of landslide survivors.

A ministerial meeting—attended by Revenue Minister K Rajan, Labour Minister V Sivankutty, and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Welfare Minister O R Kelu—took the decision in this regard.

As per the discussions held at the meeting, the Advocate General has been directed to fast-track legal proceedings to secure retrenchment benefits for the Elston Estate labourers at the earliest, an official statement said.

The Advocate General had already informed the court that over Rs 5.97 crore is to be paid to the workers under various heads, and that revenue recovery is underway.

The court was also informed that the relevant department is collecting data on salary arrears of the estate workers, including wages and gratuity.

In addition to the ministers, senior officials, including Wayanad District Collector D R Megha Shree and Additional Labour Commissioner Sunil K M, attended the meeting.

The government had earlier, on March 26, announced that labourers of Elston Estate in Wayanad would receive around Rs 6 crore as relief assistance.

Labour Minister V Sivankutty had stated that the management would provide payments under various heads, including provident fund arrears, bonuses, annual leave surrender, and more