COIMBATORE: The Valparai unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has accused the Tamil Nadu govt of neglecting the hill town and urged chief minister C Joseph Vijay to initiate measures to address the long-pending issues faced by residents and tea estate workers.In a representation submitted to the chief minister, the party alleged that Valparai had not received any major new development initiative even after TVK govt completed 100 days in office. It pointed out that no minister had visited the hill town during this period and alleged that the region continued to remain outside the govt’s development priorities.The CPM sought revision of wages for tea estate workers. The demand comes amid longstanding concerns over remuneration and working conditions among plantation workers in Valparai.Talking to TOI, CPM Valparai taluk secretary P Paramasivam said, “The previous govt had proposed Rs 510 as their daily wages, which was challenged by estate owners and later fixed at Rs 445 per day. With this little money the workers can hardly fulfil their family needs. This has led to migration of workers to Coimbatore city and Tirupur in search of better-paying jobs.”Paramasivam demanded that a fresh wage revision be undertaken through the appropriate statutory and consultative process. He said the previous wage revision was undertaken in 2023 during the DMK regime.Apart from wages, the party sought greater attention to infrastructure and basic services in the remote hill region. Valparai lacks good roads and healthcare facilities, according to him.Paramasivam urged the govt to establish free housing schemes for tea estate workers. Valparai is home to around 15,000 tea estate workers.
