Thursday, September 12, 2002 (The Star) - SUNGAI PETANI: Re-trenchedestate workers in Kedah will be entitled to housing from now on, saidstate Health, Unity, Social Welfare and Indian Affairs committee chairmanDatuk V. Saravanan.He said the decision was made at a meeting with Malaysian Agricultural andPlantation Association and Malaysian Palm Oil Association on Tuesday.The two associations had agreed to the state government’s proposal to havethe respective estate managements build houses for affected workers orprovide suitable land for the state to build them, he said.The two associations, he said, would finalise details with theirrespective headquarters before attending another meeting on Oct 10 to sortout the housing projects.“We will discuss with all quarters, including government departments, tosort out ways to build houses for affected workers,’’ he added.The Estate Workers Housing Committee, a special committee formed recentlyand chaired by state Human Resources Committee chairman Osman Md Aji, ishandling the matter.He said more than 1,000 estate workers were retrenched by the respectivemanagements and evicted since 1999 following their decision to replantrubber estates with oil palm.“The workers have been slogging for years and it is time their sacrificesare recognised,” he said.He was commenting on initiatives to address the housing problems ofretrenched estate workers in Kedah.Saravanan, who is also Estate Workers Housing committee deputy chairmanand state MIC chairman, said there were 30 estate managements in Kedahmanaging 45 rubber estates and oil palm plantations.Commending the state’s efforts to resolve the longstanding housing problemof estate workers, Kedah/Perlis National Union of Plantation Workerssecretary I. Santha-nadass said hundreds of retrenched rubber estateworkers were now odd job labourers.