The 10 women of Teelair village in Narayanpet district, who met with tragic death in a landslip on Wednesday, were not aware that they were digging their own graves when they dug staggered trenches in an already dug-up pit at the foot of a hillock outside the village.
This was the general impression of the visitors to the ‘death-spot’ who were from neighbouring villages and Teelair on Thursday afternoon. The work being executed by the ill-fated group of wage-seekers of NREGS which lost 10 of its members on Wednesday appeared “useless” as put by several visitors as they dug up trenches within the pit created by excavation of red soil and gravel by some people of Pusalpad with the help of poclains.
“The women’s group of wage-seekers carried water in cans for about a km to worksite to wet the area of trenches so that they could dig up deeper to earn higher wages. However, the hard nature of the soil there did not result in wages beyond ₹50 to ₹60 a day,” said P. Venkatanna, a villager.
Not only this group but other five-six groups of wage-seekers were also carrying water in cans to wet the soil to dig it up and earn higher wages in the limited work hours from 8 am to noon in the summer season. “Only a couple of days ago, I suggested that the ill-fated group not dig up trenches in the pit already created, although the piece of work is sanctioned,” said a functionary of NREGS, who supervises works in Teelair and a couple of other villages. He said it would take several weeks for the remaining wage-seekers to resume works of NREGS in the village as they have to muster courage to take up works again. Admitting that providing shade (tent) and drinking water for wage-seekers were mandatory in NREGS works, another functionary of the scheme said it was the responsibility of the mate, practically the team leader, to make those arrangements. All the wage-seekers who were engaged in NREGS works in the village were carrying drinking water in bottles as there was no arrangement at the worksite.
However, the mate of the group, who was also buried alive in the landslip, had not made the arrangements since the wages accrued from the work were very low. Charges for such arrangements would be met at ₹10 per wages of every ₹100 earned by the group, said the functionary.
Meanwhile, in a show of solidarity and to extend moral strength to the families of victims, the villagers of Teelair organised a candle-light rally through the bylanes on Thursday night in memory of those who were buried alive. “The position of three particular families – those of Kummari Laxmamma, Peddabugganolla Anuradha and Pallegadda Aruna – is pathetic as they left behind small children below five-six years of age”, said G. Venkatramulu, a villager.