Labourers load wheat sacks, in Bathinda, Saturday. (PTI)
ENGAGED AS a daily wager under the Centre’s AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme, it has been a month and half since Aabid Khan (25) arrived at Billa village to join the labourers building rural Panchkula’s sewerage system. The work has since been suspended. He hasn’t been paid for the work done, and now he can’t reach home. Each dawn means a new struggle for these migrant labourers left without any means to earn.
Aabid has never used a sickle, but now harvests the crops of zamindars, something he has never done before, for Rs 200 a day. He wants to collect enough money for tickets to reach home as soon as the lockdown ends.
Surviving on the charity of villagers and buying whatever meagre groceries they can afford, a group of 30 such migrants, all hailing from Bareilly’s Bhojipura in Uttar Pradesh, who joined work after spending Holi at their hometowns, now reap the harvests in the village to keep their stoves running.
All of them are employed under a sewerage building project of the Panchkula Municipal Corporation. A junior engineer heading the project said, “Yes we have a project going on which began in April 2018 as the tender was won by SR Paryavaran (aPanchkula-based firm). The sewerage lines of 14 villages are being laid under this project.”
He further said that municipalcorporation had issued explicit orders to the firm to keep their labour sheltered and well-fed.
Hemant Gupta, general manager of the firm, claimed to have given the same orders to contractors. “We have instructed all our contractors to make surethe labourers are looked after. We have received no complaints about it as of yet. We are even giving money to those who ask for it,” he said.
However, back at Billah village, the labourers claim that the contractor, Deepak Kumar, has not handed over any money to them. “He has not given us any money since we started working in February. All the work of Billah village began then. When we went back to Bareilly, we called more of our people here and 30 of us started working. Since the lockdown, we have been asking for our money, for food, but he has denied us everything,” said Narendar Kumar, one of the labourers.
Deepak meanwhile claimed thathe himself has not received any money. “My own payment has not been cleared as the day the lockdown began, was the day I had to send out the bill. I am stranded in my hometownSolan, and cannot give money to these people.”
With no way to reach home, the labourers remained stranded in the village. “We were idle the first few days. We had no money as the thekedaar who was supposed to pay us says he himself is stuck. When we had started the work, we thought it will be good money as it is under a government scheme. We never thought this day would come. Cutting crops for less than 40 per cent of what we are worth is the only option now,” said Narendar.
All of them live in four rented rooms spread across the village. “We have not been able to pay the rent but the villagers have been kind and understanding. We do not have any ration cards or PDS cards with us. We have left everything at home,” said Aabid.
The crop cutting, which used to pay an average of Rs 4,000 per killa of land, is now paying them only Rs 2,000 per killa.
“They are exploiting the situation as all those left with no jobs and no money have no option but to do this. Almost 10 persons cut crops the whole day after which they get Rs 2,000 as a whole. We use some to buy ration while saving a little to buy tickets to reach home. We know the situation at home is dire so we are saving some for home too,” Aabid said.
Back home, Aabid has a two-year-old daughter he is yearning to see again. “I have a simple phone so I cannot even see her face. They must arrange some vehicle or at least allow us to walk back. I cannot stay here any longer. I miss my wife and my daughter. They are worried about me. Kisi bhi tarha ghar pahucha do (Please send us home, anyhow),” he pleaded.