The Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board (KARWWB) has started the process of creating a single, toll-free helpline for labourers. A series of meetings has been conducted with realtors and building associations.
“The toll-free number can give information on the various schemes and benefits the board can provide to workers. It can also give workers an outlet to register their complaints, while the general public can notify the board if violations are seen,” said Rohini Sindhuri, secretary of the board.
The board hopes that this will be a step towards efficient disbursement of cess and will create awareness among workers. Over the years, the KARWWB has collected over ₹7,000 crore in cess, of which only a fraction is utilised every year.
ADVERTISEMENT
At present, the board is beleaguered with lower registrations of workers, while complaints from construction sites are few and far between. While 20 lakh workers have been registered across the State, this number excludes migrant workers and those not contacted by the over 700 workers’ unions that have mushroomed across Karnataka. This has left a vast number of unregistered workers excluded from benefits or compensation.
To address this, the board has moved a resolution to extend the compensation of ₹2 lakh, provided to the kin of deceased workers, to even labourers not registered with it. This amendment can only be notified after the formation of the Cabinet.