A large number of construction labourers inside Suncity Township in Sector 54 here on Golf Course Road protested on Monday saying that they could not sustain themselves and demanded that they be sent back homes.
The labourers, including women, working at several construction sites inside the 180-acre township, a designated containment zone, took to the roads in the morning inside its premises demanding that they be sent to their hometowns. The labourers said they did not have enough money and food to sustain their families and arrangements be made to send them back. The police were called in and the situation was brought under control without the use of force.
Former Suncity RWA president Abhey Poonia said the construction activity inside the township had come to a halt following the lockdown and the labourers did not have enough to sustain themselves. He also alleged the shopkeepers inside the township were selling groceries and essential commodities to the labourers at a higher price forcing them to protest. RWA’s vice-president Prashant Kumar said around 150 forms were filled with the help of the district administration in the evening to facilitate the labourers’ return back.
Local resident Sonal Pathak, a social worker, said the workers had little support from the builders and the residents were collecting funds among themselves to supply ration and other food items, such as biscuits, to the workers. She said the workers felt trapped since it was a containment zone and the market inside was not meant for them.
Station House Officer, Sector 53, Deepak said that labourers wanted to return to their homes, but the police officers spoke to them and brought the situation under control.
A large number of workers in Manesar’s Kho had on Sunday thronged the village streets creating a stampede-like situation during the registration to send them back homes.