Kid’s death puts lens on daycare absence

GREATER NOIDA: Unavailability of proper facilities, such as crèche, for children near construction sites in Noida-Greater Noida forces daily-wage labourers to take their kids to work, putting their lives in danger in the middle of flying dust, whirring machines and falling bricks.
The issue of kids at construction sites assumes significance in the wake of the death of a three-year-old girl in a wall collapse in Knowledge Park 3 area last week. Angoori (24), a construction worker, had taken her daughter Monika to the site as there was no one to look after the baby at home.
Labour department officials said though major builders promise to make arrangements for children of their workers, such facilities are hardly available. The situation is more dismal at sites of private houses.
With NCR witnessing a realty boom, an influx of labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in search of a livelihood has given rise to slums around construction sites. But as both the husband and wife prefer to work to augment the daily income, there’s no one to look after the kids at home. The unavailability of options for kids leaves parents with little choice but to strap them to their backs and work from heights at construction sites.
Labour commissioner Pradeep Kumar said there was need for awareness among contractors to set up crèche around construction sites. “At sites of private constructions, it is often seen that builders do not set up any facilities for children of labourers. They feel it is the responsibility of the workers to keep their kids at bay, preferably at home or in a corner where the risk is the lowest. Since both parents work, they take their kids to sites,” he said.
The situation was no different for 25-year-old Guddu and his wife Angoori, who had moved from Damoh district in MP just two weeks ago to work as labourers on a daily wage of Rs 500. “Monika was our first daughter. We moved to Greater Nodia with the hope that the future of our children would be secured in a big city. We had no idea what destiny had in store for us,” Guddu sobbed. Apart from Monika, the couple has a seven months old daughter.
Angoori said Monika had woken up 15 minutes before the accident. “Who would have looked after her at home? She’s a toddler and would have cried. All the adults were away at work,” she said. Guddu and Angoori were one of the five persons injured in the accident. They said they had heard that the contractors — Kapil and Lalit Bhadana — had promised them a Rs 1 lakh compensation, but had no idea where the money was. The Bhadanas also owe the couple Rs 8,000 in salary.
Police are looking for the two contactors. “The accused are from Sarita Vihar area. We’re carrying out raids to nab them,” said Muninder, sub-inspector at Knowledge Park.