<> God's Own Country a living hell for migrant workers

[Ajay]

God's Own Country a living hell for migrant workers

Pioneer News Service / Thiruvananthapuram 03/11/05 http://dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_variable=KOCHI&file_name=KOCHI1%2Etxt&counter_img=1 Bringing in cheap labour to literate Kerala, that too at the expense of the local labour force, appears to have serious ramifications, especially in the wake of the alleged starvation deaths of two migrant labourers from Bihar.

The two deaths happening in a row have also raised doubts about the much-hyped capital city development project of the UDF Government.

There are allegations that the Kerala Government had assigned the work to the Punj Lloyd Ltd, a global engineering company, at a higher rate for the kickbacks it offered.

Workers numbering over 10 lakh have been imported to Kerala from northern states like Bihar and Jharkhand as part of the changing work culture which suits the contractors and the politicians as cheap labour always mean a lot of money flowing into their kitty.

However, the plight of labourers from the North is very miserable and Kerala was to wake up to this reality only with the deaths of two persons from Bihar, Bholi Sahni, 49, on October 29, and Sudho Sarma on November 1.

The workers attached to the Sanghumugham workshed said they wanted to go home as life had become too wretched for them in the workplace. The labourers live in crammed cabins at the work sheds. "We are fed up. We just want to go home. However, there is no permission to go just as there are no regular payments and food," the workers at the Sanghumugham work shed told reporters. They also said they never get enough food and drinking water.

The Punj Lloyd Ltd, which is the major contractor for the Rs 150-crore capital city development project, attempted to justify themselves by saying the workers were being supplied to them by three sub-contractors. "We are not responsible for whatever happened. There are three sub-contractors who supply us the labour force. We do make regular payments to the sub-contractors. But when the death of Bholi Sahni was reported, we alerted the sub-contractors, besides making all arrangements to admit all the affected labourers to the Medical College Hospital," Krsihna Kumar of the Punj Lloyd Ltd said.

He said he could not confirm if the sub-contractors were ill-treating the workers. "Now that the issue has been brought to the company's notice, we are taking care of them," he said. He also said the two deaths were caused by malaria and that the workers contracted the disease from some fresh recruits from Bihar.

Meanwhile, the State Government appears to be in no mood to take any stringent action against the contractors. The Opposition parties have alleged that the Government is attempting to protect the contractors as some of the big guns in the Oommen Chandy Government have a stake in the contract for the Rs 150-crore capital city development project.

 
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"Ours is a battle not for wealth or for power.
It is a battle for freedom. It is a battle for the reclamation of human personality."
- Dr BR Ambedkar
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