K’taka blocks migrant workers from leaving state after meet with builders
These workers have not been paid since lockdown began & the move to stop them from leaving has drawn sharp criticism
NEW DELHI: Hours after a delegation of builders in Karnataka met with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to discuss the reopening of construction sites in the state, the Principal Secretary (Revenue Department) N Manjunatha Prasad, who is also the nodal officer for migrant labourers, issued an order to the South West Railways, cancelling all Shramik Special trains meant for these workers to return to their home states.
Earlier, the state had requested that two of these special trains be run every day for five days. On Wednesday, the state had asked that three trains be run to Danapur in Bihar. However, after the delegation of builders from CREDAI told the Chief Minister that they would require the migrant labourers to restart their economic activities, the trains were cancelled after having run only for one day.
While a CMO statement said the builders have assured the state government of proper accommodation and safety guidelines being followed to house these migrant labourers, the workers have been living under deplorable conditions with no wages in light of the COVID-19 lockdown.
BJP MP from Bengaluru, Tejaswi Surya had tweeted in favour of the move to cancel the trains, calling it “bold” and adding that it was meant to kickstart the economy and help reignite the dreams of the migrant workers who had come to earn a living. Many workers were later found to be living in unhygienic makeshift huts with tin walls and overflowing water in Surya’s constituency of Bengaluru South.
According to information released by the CMO and sources privy to developments, the builders have told the state administration that supply of raw materials would not be an issue with the lockdown being eased out but that if the migrant workers went back to their native states, there would be labour shortages. These workers have not been paid since the lockdown began and the move to stop them from leaving has drawn sharp criticism from legal experts.
Supreme Court advocates have said this move could amount to forced labour, which is prohibited by the Constitution of India and a violation of several sections of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act of 1976. Moreover, questions were also raised about whether these workers would be paid minimum wages.