Unpaid wages on mind and long walks to reach sites

By Times of India – Unpaid wages on mind and long walks to reach sites Gurgaon: Although the resumption of infrastructure projects have come as a sigh of relief for the daily-wage labourers, going back to work has not meant the end of their hardship. Some say that they have not been paid for the period that work was stalled, others complain that they have to walk long distances to commute to and from the sites and are sometimes working without access to drinking water. Baijnath, a 50-year-old worker from Bihar employed at the elevated U-turn project site at Shankar Chowk, said, “We didn’t get paid for the past month and had no option but to come back to work although we fear infection.” When asked how he was coming to work, he said that sometimes, the contractor sends them a vehicle, but at other times, they have to walk over 3km reach to their quarters near Sirhaul toll. The workers reviving the Ambience underpass project live right across the street and turned up for work after a phone call informing them about the resumption. But they have complained that the site lacks basic facilities. “There is no arrangement for us. We do not even have access to drinking water at the site. We get water from a gurdwara nearby,” said Vijay Kumar (34), a migrant worker from Bihar. He added that in three days, no one from the authorities have turned up to check if they have the basic facilities or if the safety protocol was being followed. At the construction site of the Sohna elevated road, the story was similar. The workers who couldn’t manage to go home, spent the last month in a camp nearby without any wages. 18-year-old Jairul from Assam said that they reconvened at the project site three days ago and were asked to always wear masks and maintain distance with other workers. RK Contractors, the company that is carrying out work at Ambience Mall and Shankar Chowk, dismissed the claims of workers and said everyone has been paid for the last month and April’s salary will be credited on May 7. Officials of Oriental Structures Engineers said that they have outsourced the work to another contractor who pays the workers. On their end, they have made the payments and have also provided ration for workers. DownloadThe Times of India News App for Latest City NewsSubscribeStart Your Daily Mornings with Times of India Newspaper! Order Now

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