PCK urges government to bear cost of Rs122 crore

PATHANAMTHITTA: Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK) chairman Varghese George has urged the State Government to bear the cost of Rs 122-crore rehabilitation programme for the Endosulfan victims.Addressing a meet-the-press programme at the Press Club here on Wednesday, Varghese George said that the corporation alone could not undertake the rehabilitation package mooted by the National Human Rights Commission.Varghese George said the State Government, in a letter to the PCK the other day, asked to implement the rehabilitation package.He said the corporation did not have the capacity to implement the rehabilitation package for the victims.Major diversification plannedVarghese George said that the corporation, the third largest State Government undertaking, was on the  threshold of a major diversification programme including value-added products, farm tourism and vegetable cultivation. He said that the corporation was likely to enter the field of manufacturing tyres and latex-based products in a major way.“The project report on the diversification plan is in the final stages of preparation,” George said.On farm tourism, George said that the corporation would make use of the facility in Athirappally. “PCK would construct 12 additional rooms in its Plantation Valley resort in Athirappally,” he said. “With the additional 12 rooms, the Planation Valley would have 24 rooms,” he said. “The corporation is likely to manufacture tyres and other value-added products from rubber,” he said.The PCK would make use of the land available in the estate for the cultivation of vegetables.Scheme for replanting“Varghese George said that the corporation, having a total area of 15,000 acres for rubber plantation spread over seven districts, 5,000 acres for cashew plantation, 1,500 acres for oil palm cultivation and 700 acres for pepper, would launch a scheme for replanting in a major way, after replacing the old rubber trees,” he said.Attractive wage hike for plantation workersGeorge said that the wages of the workers under plantation sector would go up to Rs 265 from Rs 163 a day at present. “The wage increase would cover temporary workers too,” he said.He said the turnover of the corporation during the last financial year was  Rs 122 crore and the profit was Rs  72 crore.