Labour shortage worries contractors in Vizag

Visakhapatnam: Thanks to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and plenty of other welfare programmes, the labour migration in the villages controlled to a large extent. As the workers are not leaving their villages to cities for works, the contractors and engineering wings of various government departments are facing tough times to complete the works within a stipulated time.

Even though the contractors are offering essential commodities free of cost and additional wages, the workers from the agency and rural pockets are not coming to various civil works in the cities. According to the statistics of various welfare programmes and attendance of locals at NREGS works, the Panchayat Raj and Revenue officials from villages informed to government that 90 per cent of the labour migration from villages was controlled.

Due to shortage of labour, the contractors are asking their supervisors to move Odisha and West Bengal to bring workers on a monthly contract basis. The contractors are giving free ration to workers besides good amount of wages to other state workforce.

The police department during their regular check-ups identifies a big number of other state workers at various locations in the city. The civil contractors, real-estate businessmen and builders giving their care-off address to them also.

“Almost three months long NREGS works being provided to them at their own village and over 3-month agriculture works available in kharif and rabi season. In the rest of six months, 2 months will be on account of holidays, local festivals, public events and rains.

If we calculate, the government offers commodities free of cost and other facilities including medical aid and others, a family can easily enjoy 3 months of life without any work. With this, the workers are not leaving their own villages in search of works, a senior engineer of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation said. 

Meanwhile, the builders and other civil contractors are also not taking local workers to works as other state workers are working more than 8 hours.
"If the works are going at fast pace, no one feels to spend money on the workers.

Our workers will say many rules and they will not work more than six hours per day. However, other-state workers are attending to duty promptly in morning hours and completing the works ever after sunset. As we are providing ration and accommodation, they are saving their wages," Dandu Ramalinga Raju, a builder and civil contractor said.