Chengara heaves a sigh of relief Pioneer News Service | Pathanamthitta
The march by the workers belonging to different trade unions in Pathanamthitta district and led by the pro-CPI(M) CITU to the estates of Chengara where thousands of Dalits and Adivasis were staging a 13-month-long agitation passed off peacefully on Wednesday with the timely intervention of the Marxist leadership and the efficient deployment of the police personnel in places by the District Administration. The march, which had shot up the social and political temperatures in the State and spread panic among the more than 7,000 agitators demanding land livelihood for their family, was blocked by the police about a kilometer away from the estate and the workers dispersed after a dharna there. The intention of the march was meant to forcefully evict the agitators from the estate so that the workers of the estate would get their jobs back. The CPI(M) leadership had reportedly spoken to the district CITU leaders on Tuesday night after the agitators in the estate reiterated their resolve to commit suicide en masse if anybody forcefully entered into the agitation camp. Following this, the leaders of the various trade unions including CIYU, AITUC and BMS agreed to the request of District Collector PC Sanal Kumar to avoid violence in the estate. However, the BMS had even earlier said that their workers would withdraw from the march at the first hint of any violent action from the marchers. But the tension and panic in Kerala over the Chengara issue refused to subside with the trade unions giving an ultimatum to the District Administration on Wednesday that they would again march to the estate and take appropriate action to evict the agitators if the issue was not settled before September 10. Till then, the workers would continue their siege on the paths leading to the estate. This raised the fear of yet another humanitarian crisis in the estate as the workers threatened not to allow any of the agitators to get into or get out of the estate during the siege. The fear and tension in the entire Pathanamthitta district and also in Kerala had risen after the trade unions refused to abandon their march and the Sadhu Jana Vimochana Samyuktha Vedi spearheading the agitation for land declaring that they would commit suicide en masse if the workers entered the estate. On Wednesday, police blocked the march which started at Konnappara by more than 3,000 workers, including women, at Athumbunkulam, about a kilometer away from Chengara estate. The District Administration had mobilised more than 1,000 police personnel, even drawing them from the neighbouring districts with all implements to meet any type of emergency in estate. District Collector Sanal Kumar had reviewed the situation with visit to the place on Tuesday evening. Deputy Collector V Balakrishnan and tahsildars of Kozhenchery, Ranni and Thiruvalla taluks had stationed in Athumbunkulam as executive magistrates to issue necessary orders if things got out of hand for the police. All the Dy SPs in the district under Superintendent of Police AJ James had been present there to lead the more-than-one thousand strong police force to handle any kind of mishap. N Mahesan, Revenue Divisional Officer, Adoor coordinated the entire team. Reacting to the day's developments, Opposition leader Oommen Chandy said the LDF Government had failed in settling the Chengara issue. The Government should provide land for the landless and to protect the interests of the workers, he said while speaking at a fast held by Chengara Agitation Solidarity Committee in Thiruvananthapuram. Meanwhile, reports came out that a campaign was on to spread wrong messages that the Dalits and Adivasis under the Sadhu Jana Vomochana Samyuktha Vedi were preparing to face the challenge from the trade unions in the same coin. Vedi leaders said that there were efforts from some interested quarters to spread wrong reports that the agitators were preparing for a Muthanga-like attack against intruders. They said that they had held this agitation for the past 13-months in the most peaceful manner without causing any problems for anyone. The greatest strength for them was in their power to tolerate anything and everything and there was no effort to pursue the path of violence, Vedi leaders said. -- Dileep R I thuravoor --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to greenyouth@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---