District Administration must act now

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

AMRITSAR, MAY 19

Even as the district Health Department initiated vaccination of registered labourers in the district but 90 per cent of them are not registered.

Dr JP Singh, patron, Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Parishad Punjab, said there were about 4.50 lakh labourers, including 1.70 lakh migrants, engaged in a variety of jobs in the district. However, not more than five to seven per cent of them were registered with the departments of labour and factories. For instance, the Labour Department has a record of only 13,000 construction workers while their actual number is much more.

So, Parishad sought that the district administration must utilise the services of the department to reach out to all workers. Singh stated that vaccinating them must be a priority instead of only registered ones. “Labourers work in groups at different locations. They could be carriers of pandemic. Most of them are single-earning hands in the families, their falling sick means that the source of income to their families has stopped.”

Ram Bhawan Goswami, general secretary of the Parishad, suggested that the Health Department could hold camps in those areas where industrial activities were more. For instance, focal points, Batala road, Meeran Kot, Chheharta, Bal Kalan, East Mohan Nagar, Majitha road and Tarn Taran road.

“Labourers were reluctant to go to hospitals for vaccination, fearing that they might get infected,” he said. He elaborated that most of the industrial units were lying closed due to the lockdown in various parts of the country. Being a border district, the holy city depends upon raw material and selling finished goods in the rest of the country. “So, the 75% out of nearly 400 textile units, 85% out of 30 processing units and others are lying closed.”

Amarjit Singh Asal, a veteran Left Party leader in the district, said there must be around 4.50 lakh labourers engaged in factories, shops, farms and various other professions. He lambasted the government for chalking out lopsided policies. He said most of the labourers were hesitant to get vaccinated as they would lose their wages once they would develop fever post vaccination. He said Rs1,500 monthly aid translates into three to four day wages. He added the government takes decisions in offices without holding discussions with the labour representatives. He suggested that the aid should at least be Rs 6,000. That, too, should be disbursed to those who would get the jabs.

War of wages

“Labourers were reluctant to go to hospitals for vaccination, fearing that they might get infected,” said Ram Bhawan Goswami, general secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Parishad Punjab. Another reason that has held labourers back from getting inoculated is of missing out on wages. Many of them are single-earning hands in their families. Post vaccination fever is likely to grip them, “their falling sick means that the source of income to their families would be cut off.” The statement resonated well with Amarjit Singh Asal, a veteran Left Party leader in the district, who underlined the need to raise the lean financial aid the government hands them.