Daily wagers’ struggle continues despite easing of lockdown

Many wait endlessly at labour addas

The partial lifting of COVID-19 lockdown has not helped daily wage labourers who have stayed back in the city. In Toli Chowki, Kishen Bagh and Fateh Darwaza labour addas where they gather in the morning to share their services, there were no takers.

The workers range from those who manually carry sand, cement and bricks at construction sites to the skilled ones like brick layers, plumbers, carpenters and those who do masonry work, among others. “I was hired three days ago at a site near Shaikpet. The work got over in two days and I need to find work again,” said Hanumanthu, who works as a mason. “I didn’t get any ration or money promised by the State government,” he said, flashing his Aadhaar card.

“We have been eating, sleeping and watching TV for the past two months as money got exhausted. I returned from my village near Mahbubnagar three days ago to find work here but in vain,” said Shiva, a skilled mason who gets ₹1,500 per day as wage when he is hired.

Earlier, thekedars (contractors) or owners of properties would show up and hire a number of people depending on the requirement at the work site. Most of them would begin their work by 10-11 a.m. and end it by 5 p.m. but with a curfew in place by 7 p.m., this work schedule has gone for a toss. “Now we have to end work by 2-3 p.m. so that we can reach home early,” said Padmaja, who was waiting to get some work.

“I have been reduced to begging. These are the food packets I have collected today for my children and me from strangers,” said Sugunamma, emptying a bag containing four food packets. “It’s been three months that I am living like this by begging. I don’t have vessels at home, no rice and have been forced to vacate my house. We are living on the street,” said Sugunamma, who works as a daily wage labourer and lives in Filmnagar. “Forget about ₹1,000, I didn’t get even charana (25 paise) from the government,” she said.

The reduced work opportunities has also led to reduction in number of workers who used to throng the addas. At Toli Chowki site where hundreds of workers used to wait to get hired, there were only about a dozen people on Monday.