Thiruvananthapuram: Due to frozen bank accounts, the purchase of coffee has been affected in Indian Coffee Houses (ICH) and many branches in the capital have run out of their most sought after beverage. The speciality of ICH coffee is that it is made from beans that are directly procured from plantations in Nilambur.
Indian Coffee Board Employees Cooperative Society headquartered at Thrissur used to directly procure the beans and grind it locally in various districts. However, its director board was dissolved in February last week. Since, then the salary of employees also has not been disbursed.
“Some workers were ousted by the apolitical board for bad conduct and continuous absence from duty. The ousted ones joined hands with CITU and alleged corruption by the board members. They moved the high court and the director board was dissolved,” said a senior ICH employee. While groceries and tea are locally sourced by ICH outlets, they are unable to procure coffee from elsewhere. The stock has run out in branches like Palayam. At Thampanoor, staffers managed to run the show after bartering some essential items for coffee from other outlets. At the General Hospital, the stock can last for another three weeks. The ICH has around 2000 employees and 51 outlets in eight districts. The ICHs were established across the country after a workers movement that was spearheaded by AK Gopalan.
