Migrant labourers stage dharna

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Oct 23: Hundreds of migrant labourers including women locked up the main gate of Kaliachak-II block development office at Mothabari today and staged a dharna demanding wages of Rs. 75 per day for each labourer under 100-days job scheme.

The agitation continued for more than three hours and it was stopped after a meeting with the leaders of migrant labourers and the BDO in the presence of a huge police force.

Nearly five hundred migrant labourers from three gram panchayats like Bangitola, Panchanandapur I and II of this block, engaged in 100-days job under the national rural employment guarantee schemes (NREGS) were demanding full payment of wages (Rs. 75) per day instead of a payment of Rs. 19 on an average per day, settled by block officials.

A total of 12 members on behalf of the labourers met the BDO Kaliachak-II Mr. Debanjan Roy today and asked him to explain the solution to fix such ‘poor’ wages (Rs.19) for each labourer per day.

In reply, the BDO Mr. Roy said that the wages were fixed on the basis of the measurement of soil dug by the labourers and not on the basis of per day work.

Speaking to The Statesman, the Kaliachak-II BDO Mr. Debanjan Roy said: “We pay Rs. 75 to a male labourer if he can dig 80 cft soils (per day). A woman is entitled to get Rs.75 if she can dig 75 cft soils. The rate varies on the basis of character of soils (hard or soft). The rate is high for hard soil”.

The labourers claimed that they had to spend over 10 hours every day and had to incur travelling expenses of Rs.24 per day to reach the site every day, at least 17 km from their locality.

“The block authorities, initially, could not provide them with jobs in areas that were closeby. Finally they were engaged in jobs under NREGS at least 17 km away in block areas,” said Mr. Tarikul Islam, leader of a local citizen forum.

Five hundred migrant labourers, returning from Maharashtra fearing attacks by MNS activists, demanded 100-days job from block authorities. According to migrant labourers like Rafikul Sheikh and Ershad Ali, hundreds of migrant labourers remain untraced in Maharashtra after being intercepted by the MNS.

The local citizen forum - GBPNAC (Ganga Bhangan Protirodh Nagarik Action Committee) had contacted Ms. Medha Patkar to release them from police custody.“Recently Ms. Medha Patkar informed them that the migrant labourers were not handed over to the police by the MNS and could not be traced,” said Mr. Tarikul Islam.

To resolve the stalemate, the Mr Roy today finally assured the GBPNAC leaders that a senior engineer from the district headquarters would review the measurement at the site and check for any procedural error to make the final payment to the day labourers under this 100-days job scheme.