JOIN US'Ensure welfare of migrant labourers, projects depend on their return'
The flight of migrant labourers from the city due to the Covid-19 outbreak and the lockdown that followed is bound to delay the timely completion of several mobility infrastructure projects in the city. The Namma Metro, the suburban rail and airport expansion projects are all affected.
DH speaks to a cross-section of Bengalureans to ascertain their views on this critical aspect. Tonio Thomas, a project manager, notes, “We are currently facing a lot of problems in the construction field due to Covid-19. We haven't been able to keep up with the project schedules mainly due to manpower and resource limitations.”
Eighty-five per cent of the migrant labourers are returning to their home towns because they believe their lives are at stake and have no one to stand up for them. “This leaves us to hire new labourers who demand double the normal pay that existed before the virus situation. To top this, we are also finding it difficult to procure material for the projects.”
The issue is the same in the real estate construction sector. He says, “For a construction project, the payment is received once we provide the bill to the client after completing a certain percentage of the project. The company has to avail loans from banks to meet that requirement. These projects getting delayed will incur huge losses to our company.”
Vinay Kumar H S, who works as a junior engineer at a department that deals with rural drinking water and sanitation, has this to say: “The delay in government infrastructure projects is mainly due to Covid-19. In the current situation, it would be impossible for the government to raise taxes equal to the pre-Covid levels as a majority of people cannot afford it now. This will make it tough for the government to pay adequate wages to the migrant labourers.”
Even though the machinery is used for infrastructure projects, at least 50% of the labour force is needed to complete the pending projects. “If there are no labourers then there will be no infrastructure development. The government cannot afford to pay double the amount for local labourers. The government can only run if there is tax.”
One way out of this situation, Vinay feels, is to shift to a contract system for two to three years. “If the government makes the bond for only two or three weeks, it would be impossible for migrant workers to afford food or accommodation in a metropolis like Bengaluru.”
Most of the projects have crossed their deadlines, and companies are facing delays in the schedule. Mithin Nathan, a project engineer who works for the Kempegowda International Airport's runway project says that delays are one of the major constraints in a project.
This year, the pandemic has disrupted all scheduled management plans. Recovery can be challenging. “Even though the runway work is finished, there are several other related works that are lagging far behind in the airport,” he points out.
He suggests a way to solve this problem to an extent. “It can be accomplished by optimising performances during execution by improving their managerial effectiveness. The appropriate ambidexterity principles can be applied. This could be adopted as a model of good practice by practitioners looking to institute recovery measures in delayed and disrupted projects.”
G Santhosh a site supervisor notes, “The metro project is definitely affected due to the reverse flow of migrant labourers. The only way to bring them back is by guaranteeing food and accommodation to the labourers. The government is recalling labourers by arranging special trains. They can start to work after the 14-day quarantine period.”