Migrant workers pin their hope on resumption of construction works

By Ujjwal Roy
Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 17 (ANI): Labourers and migrant workers struggling to earn their daily bread in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida are desperately waiting for the construction works to resume as per the Centre's revised guidelines.
Amid the lockdown, construction works of roads, highways, expressways, medical colleges and large housing projects will resume from April 20 while taking all the precautionary measures as per the Centre's revised guidelines.
Offices, factories and shops are shut across the nation for around 24 days. The Centre is now set to provide some relaxation to some construction works and shops eventually. The Central government released new guidelines on Wednesday.
The resumption of these works will come as a huge relief to labourers and other migrant workers across India, who are facing acute livelihood crisis.
Labourers working at the construction sites in Greater Noida have been forced to stay at the construction site for the last 24 days. They are somehow managing to arrange food for themselves and their family members.
Jagdeep a labourer from Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district, working at a construction building here, told ANI: "The construction works have stopped. We are somehow managing to arrange food for ourselves."
"I have six members in my family. We are facing a huge problem. It will be good if the construction works begin at the soonest," he added.
Jagdeep's wife, who is also a labourer, said that even the police personnel do not help them. With an infant in her arms, she was seen cooking food for the entire family at the construction site on Friday.
Another labourer working at Vikas Construction's building told ANI that the builders are providing some kind of aid to the labourers but that is not sufficient for them.
"It would be good if the work starts as soon as possible. We will obey the government's instructions. While working during the lockdown period, we will obey the norms. We are waiting for the construction works to resume," he added.
Migrant labourers from across various States are stuck in the Delhi-NCR region in view of the lockdown imposed. They are in a dire need of works to manage their livelihood and feed their family members. (ANI)