Though district in-charge secretary Manjunath Prasad has instructed officers at the taluk level to ensure jobs to every card holder under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and release wages quickly, Molkalmuru taluk is facing scarcity of labour. For, many are migrating in search of livelihood and those staying back are ready to work only between 6 a.m. and noon, owing to the heat wave conditions.
According to sources, temperature in Molkalmuru taluk varies between 39 degrees Celsius and 41 degrees Celsius and heat wave conditions continue for the whole day making it difficult for labour to work in the afternoon. Though jobs are provided to eligible card holders in the taluk, there have been allegations that wages have been delayed. As a result, labour have started migrating for livelihood.
Meanwhile, a gram panchayat member, J.P. Suresh, alleged that wages meant for labour under MGNREGA have been misused by gram panchayat authorities.
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Hence, labour have not received wages. The higher authorities should intervene in the matter and settle the wages of labour to prevent them from migrating in search of livelihood, he added.
The farmers in the taluk are facing severe shortage of farm labour to protect horticulture crops and are forced to pay more wages to retain workers who, however, have their own schedule of work. The farm labourers say they are not able to work after noon owing to heat wave conditions which prevails throughout the day and the night too.
The district administration has opened a goshala in Iragaru village near Kondlahalli village to ensure drinking water and fodder to animals. Small and medium farmers bring their cattle to the goshala around 8 a.m. and take them back around 6.30 p.m.
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Farm labourers say they are not able
to work after noon owing to heat wave conditions