40 பேருந்துகளை ஏப்பம் விட்டார் ஆறுமுகம் தொண்டமான்? பேருந்துகளை ஏப்பம் விடவில்லை - இ.தொ.கா விளக்கம்: பெருந்தோட்டத் தொழிலாளர்களின் நலனை மேம்படுத்த, இந்திய அரசாங்கத்தினால் வழங்கப்பட்ட 'டாடா சிட்டி ரைடர்' வகையைச் சேர்ந்த 40 பேருந்துகளை முன்னாள் அமைச்சரும் இலங்கை தொழிலாளர் காங்கிரசின் பொதுச் செயலாளருமான ஆறுமுகன் தொண்டமான், மிகவும் இரகசியமான முறையில் விற்று, அப்பணத்தைத் தன்னுடைய சொந்தத் தேவைக்காகப் பயன்படுத்தியுள்ளதாகத் தகவல்கள் வெளியாகியுள்ளன. இந்தியாவின் முன்னாள் பிரதமர் மன்மோகன் சிங்கிடம், 2008ஆம் ஆண்டு விடுக்கப்பட்ட கோரிக்கைக்கு அமைவாக, இந்திய ரூபாயில் 80 மில்லியன் ரூபாய் பெறுமதியான, 40பேருந்துகள் வழங்கப்பட்டன.
இந்த பேருந்துகள் யாவும், அன்னை கோதை என்டர்பிரைசு என்ற தனியார் நிறுவனத்தின் பெயரிலேயே பதியப்பட்டுள்ளன.இந்த நிறுவனம், சௌமியமூர்த்தி தொண்டமானின் பாரியாரின் பெயரிலேயே ஆரம்பிக்கப்பட்டு ள்ளது. இந்த நிறுவனத்தின் பணிப்பாளர்களாக ஆறுமுகன் தொண்டமானின் மகளான கோதை நாச்சியார் மற்றும் இலங்கை தொழிலாளர் காங்கிரசின் தலைவரும் நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினருமான முத்து சிவலிங்கத்தின் மகளான வாணி சிவலிங்கம் ஆகியோர் கடமையாற்றுகின்றனர்.
பெருந்தோட்டத் தொழிலாளர்களின் நலன்புரி விடயங்களை மேம்படுத்தும் வகையில் இந்த பஸ்கள் கையளிக்கப்பட்டிருந்த போதிலும் அவை, அம்மக்களின் நலன்புரியை மேம்படுத்துவதற்கு பயன்படுத்தப்படவில்லை. அவையாவும், குடும்ப உறவினர்கள் பயணம் செய்வதற்கும், சுற்றுலா செய்வதற்கும், அரசியல் நடவடிக்கைகளுக்கும் மற்றும் கட்சி உறுப்பினர்களின் மரண வீடுகளுக்கு செல்வதற்காகவுமே பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளன.
இந்திய அரசாங்கத்தினால் வழங்கப்பட்ட 40 பேருந்துகள் தொடர்பில், இலங்கைக்கான இந்திய தூதுவராலயத்தினால் முன்னெடுக்கப்பட்ட விசாரணைகளில், இலங்கை தொழிலாளர் காங்கிரசிடமோ அல்லது அந்த நிறுவனத்திடமோ இந்த பஸ்கள் இல்லை என வெளியாகியுள்ளதாக தகவல்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன.
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2016/01/31/demi-god-of-the-plantations-falls-from-glory/
by Nirmala Kannangara
Arumugam Thondaman
“The Government of India is the biggest donor for the Indian-origin Tamils in the country and by donating the buses they wanted to provide them with a better transportation system. Many remote villages in the Central and Uva Provinces do not have regular bus services. Therefore, estate workers and their schoolchildren have to walk several kilometers places of work and schools.
India’s effort to upgrade and assist the plantation workers of Indian origin had not been successful because Thondaman made money out of these buses,” sources from Kotagala told The Sunday Leader. According to the sources, after the demise of their founder CWC Leader Saumyamurthy Thondaman, there is nobody to look after their welfare.
According to the sources who wished to remain anonymous in fear of MP Thondaman, the initial plan of the Indian government was to donate 500 buses to the CWC for transporting plantation workers, but they donated only 40 buses because the Indian High Commission in Colombo knew that the donation had not served the purpose. The first consignment of 20 buses had been handed over in Kotagala to CWC Leader Arumugam Thondaman in 2009.
“Instead of using these 20 buses on roads in remote areas, Thondaman kept them at the Congress Labour Foundation premises in Kotagala for over six months without making any use of them. Since these buses were not used, the Indian High Commission in Colombo inquired as to why the CWC was not using the buses. It was only then the CWC got activated and formed a new company, Annai Kothai Entrepreneur (Guarantee) Limited in memory of his grandmother’s name and got the buses registered under the newly-formed company and the buses were made to operate in remote areas. The schoolchildren were charged half the rate while the elders were charged the normal bus fare. Since this bus service became popular amongst the plantation workers, the Indian government sent the second consignment of 20 buses again to the CWC,” the sources alleged.
The sources further said the Congress Labour Foundation that the Japanese funded – a vocational training center for plantation youth in the Central and Uva provinces -was not allowed to use by junior Thondaman.
Stopped vocational training
“The centre was given to the CWC in the late 1970s and when the late S. Thondaman was in active politics, the youth were given proper training in carpentry, masonry, computer technology and all other vocational work. But when the junior Thondaman entered into politics, he prevented plantation youth from gaining training at this foundation. Junior Thondaman does not give any benefit to his own people, so he is unpopular amongst the estate workers,” the sources claimed.According to the sources, the request to the Indian government to obtain these buses for the plantation workers was first proposed by MP R. Yogarajan.
“CWC President Muttu Sivalingam was reluctant to grant benefits to the plantation workers because he always wanted the plantation community to be his slaves.
He also did not like to provide transport to the remote areas. Chairperson of Annai Kothai Entrepreneur (Guarantee) Limited was Kothai Nachiyar – daughter of Arumugam Thondaman, and the Directors were Mr. Sivarajah and Mr. Loganathan. Once the management responsibilities were handed over to Sivarajah and Loganathan, the CWC and the directors misused the profits and made it a cash-strapped company. They even failed to pay the salaries for the drivers and conductors,” the sources alleged.
Ownership transferred
After the first ‘project’ became unsuccessful, the buses were then transferred to S. Thondaman Memorial Foundation – Prajashakthi. Under the directorship of Ms. Kemini, this too incurred losses and all these 40 buses were mortgaged to the Nuwara Eliya office of a well-known leasing company.
“As there was no way to pay the lease, most of these buses were sold to Central Provincial Council members at five hundred thousand rupees per bus. Provincial Minister M. Rameswaran was given four buses for Rs.2 million and three of the buses were later sold at Rs. 3 million together with the route permits. Now the CWC has no hold of these buses and the Indian Government too had been duped. These buses are now plying on roads and bringing in revenue to the present owners,” the sources added.
According to the sources, a TATA City Rider bus cost Rs. 2 million. They alleged that Thondaman made huge money out of the deal.
Indian HC in the dark
Meanwhile, the Indian High Commission in Colombo confirmed to The Sunday Leader that the Indian Government donated 40 TATA City Rider buses to the CWC for the benefit of the plantation workers and their schoolchildren, mostly in the very remote areas in the Central and Uva Provinces. However, they added that they are not aware what had happened to them. “TATA city rider buses are very popular among estate commuters in rural areas especially among schoolchildren due to its convenient interior facilities; also these units are specially made for Sri Lankan conditions and easy to maintain. These buses were handed over to then Minister Arumugam Thondaman in Kotagala by then High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Alok Prasad,” a spokesperson said.All attempts to contact Arumugam Thondaman for a comment on the allegations levelled against him failed because he did not answer the calls. His Secretary said that when he contacted Thondaman to find out whether the former Minister can talk to this newspaper, the parliamentarian had said he is busy and cannot answer the call. Later a text message was sent to Thondaman once again seeking for a comment but until the newspaper went to publication, the former Minister did not respond to the text message, nor return the call.
Although many calls were made to contact Sivarajah for a comment, he too did not answer the calls.
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