Although construction material such as sand, cement and metal is readily available locally, construction activity was badly affected with migrant workers leaving for their native places with the relaxation of lockdown in the integrated district.
A large number of workers engaged in the construction activity left and builders are struggling to get the work done with remaining people, resulting in slowdown in constructions. Head masons are struggling to pool up whatever little human resource is available. Unlike in the past when workers themselves used to reach the work places, now vehicles are engaged to pick up and drop them at their places.
“Though higher wages are offered, adequate number of workers are not available. Workers from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and from Pamur and Kanigiri areas in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh left for their villages. An estimated 50 head masons are there in this city and more than 50 migrant workers would work under each,” said Tirupathi, a head mason, who is building a house in Subashnagar.
As a result, work is either postponed or cancelled. It might take a long time for the workers to come back.
“I have taken four months for raising pillars as after launching the construction work outbreak of COVID-19 happened and workers left,” said Jagdish, a builder.
Had the Telangana government held back the workers by taking good care of them — by announcing relief package immediately after the imposition of lockdown and providing shelter— , they would not have not left, said K. Srinivas, another mason.
Construction workers from other States had expertise in certain works such as mixing material and that could not be done without them. Painting walls and carpentry were, especially, their trades, according to Raju, a worker.
