The Labour Department has warned that employers will be prosecuted under the Disaster Management Act if they force labourers to work between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the next fortnight.
Officials will visit worksites along with police personnel to check if labourers are engaged during the said period, District Collector Seeram Sambasiva Rao said on Wednesday. A decision to this effect was taken after a few construction labourers were found to have been admitted to hospitals with sunburns.
Though the administration had earlier directed employers not to deploy labourers in open spaces between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. when the mercury levels soar, it has not reportedly been adhered to by all. 10 sunburn cases were reported in the district in the past three days and four heat rash cases on Wednesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a spike in maximum temperatures in Kozhikode district by two to three degrees Celsius in the next two days. The maximum temperature recorded in Kozhikode on Wednesday was 36.2 degrees Celsius, 3 degrees Celsius above the normal. The minimum temperature was 27.2 degrees Celsius, which was 1 degree Celsius above normal. There was a rainfall of 4.6 mm in parts of the city in the morning, which was a respite from the sweltering heat.
The Collector has also directed to stop pre-school classes at anganwadis and take steps to provide midday meals to children at their homes. School authorities have been asked to stop all vacation classes but exams can be held. Shopkeepers have been told to provide drinking water to people. The Social Justice Department should shelter destitutes at old-age homes. Details on drinking water distribution are available on toll-free number 1077.