GHMC Engineering wing officials and contractors who are doing the SRDP works are keeping their fingers crossed for the return of migrant labour force to Telangana, so that the projects could be completed as per deadline.
While the Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) is on a spree of foundation laying ceremonies for various components of the SRDP, work pertaining to the respective projects hinges largely upon return of the migrant labourers from their home states.
The Minister has recently laid foundation for two elevated corridors, one between VST and Indira Park, and another between Nalgonda Crossroads and the Owaisi junction. Both are designed as steel bridges, and will have steel pier, steel pier cap, and steel girders with RCC deck slab cast in situ.
“Normally, the contractors take three to four months after the work order has been issued, to start the work. They need the work order even to generate funds from banks, hence the delay. It has been two months since we issued work orders for both the elevated corridors, but neither the contractors nor we are certain about when the labour force would return,” says an official under the condition of anonymity.
Manpower cannot be done away with even with reliance on most modern technology, he says.
Skilled workers with expertise in construction of flyovers usually come from states such as Bihar, Bengal and Odisha, and never before has there been any problem in commissioning of workers as the market has always been favourable for contractors. With return of lakhs of migrant labourers to their native states post COVID-19 lockdown, the market conditions have reversed in favour of the labourers, officials say.
“An agency doing about five SRDP projects in the city, has recently flown down 40 labourers from Assam, by bearing the flight charges. However, they refused to work and returned, saying they were not familiar with the technology being used,” the official narrated.
While local labourers are not willing to engage in construction work, those from other states would be willing to work for half the pay, as their accommodation would be taken care of by the contractors.
“As of now, the workers are engaged in agricultural operations in their native states. Besides, the floods in Bihar have left workers stranded in their villages, with no means to return,” says the official.
Officials and contractors both are pinning their hopes on return of the labourers after August 15, by when the harvesting season would be over in Bihar and Bengal.
