SRIKAKULAM: Hundreds of construction workers have lost their livelihood for the last one month, with the impact of demonetisation of Rs.1,000 and Rs. 500 notes.
All the builders in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram have stopped the construction activity with the cash crunch. With non-availability of works in and around the two district headquarters, workers are struggling to make their ends meet. One can find huge gathering of workers at places like the Potti Sriramulu junction and the Day and Night junction, 7 Roads and other places of Srikakulam, searching for work.
No work
Each worker used to earn around Rs. 250 per day and woman worker was assured of earning around Rs.175. “After the steep hike in material cost, the builders have already stopped construction of new apartments. Demonetisation is another big blow. So, hardly we have been getting any work for the last one week. I can’t get work in Vizag and other places, since similar conditions are prevailing there,” said B. Ramu Naidu, a worker of Sri Kurmam.
Lakshmi said the slowdown in the construction activity had left them helpless and many labourers were already in debt trap. “The government’s war against black money is good for society. But it should think of the life of labourers too,” she added.
Some of the builders provided soft loans to senior and regular workers. The workers are facing troubles in getting and exchanging money as the government has further slashed the payment of Rs.2,000.
Some of the banks said the payments would be made only through accounts.
However, the majority of the workers had accounts in their villages and mandals, but they could not travel all the way to their native places.
“We used to go to cities whenever there was slump in construction activity in Srikaulam and Vizianagaram. But the situation is similar in cities like Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada,” adds another worker.
