In the Delta area of Greater Noida, whenever a vehicle slowed down at an intersection on Friday morning, a group of at least 10 people started running along with it. From a small gap in the window, he asked the passengers whether they needed laborers for any work.
With the onset of the third COVID wave and related restrictions, workers are again more desperate as jobs start drying up.
About 3 km from Pari Chowk, more than 5,000 workers gather to find employment. They provide a variety of services to both individuals and organizations – lifting of cement sacks, construction of stone walls, painting and assembly work in a factory.
The workers said that this method of seeking work has been going on for many years and it used to be a smooth process. But the continuing waves of the pandemic have meant that many have now gone without daily wages for a week.
Among them is Ram Charan Singh (60), who has lost his left eye for years and goes to Labor Chowk every day. His three sons, who are engaged in daily wages, have been unable to earn money during the pandemic.
“I have been a laborer all my life. Work was better before and we got on. Since the new wave has arrived, it has almost stopped. At my age with my disability, no one wants to hire me. But I can’t stop trying because the expenses are piling up; Singh, who hails from Aligarh, said, “It is becoming difficult to eat even two meals a day these days.”
Most of the laborers live in one-room houses in areas like Kasna and Surajpur in Greater Noida and pay rent between Rs 2,500 and Rs 5,000. Some people walk about 8-10 km a day as they cannot afford public transport.
60-year-old Chanda Devi was standing in a corner of the square. A widow with two sons, she used to do petty chores like gardening to help bring in extra income. Before the pandemic, she used to earn around Rs 300-400 every three days. In the last month, she was hired only three times.
“With the lockdown, fewer people approach us. Even if we have been vaccinated, everyone thinks that they will get covid by interacting with us. But we just need work. We have no policy. If big industries hire us, they deduct half of what they pay for some pretext or the other. Should we start begging?” he said.
Some workers say that long-standing contractors providing work in housing society construction sites have not paid their dues for months. He said that the ban on construction to check pollution and the latest increase in cases has also affected employment opportunities.
Several activists said they would abstain from voting in the upcoming assembly elections. “The government says that people should work from home. Where do we count in this? I have five kids and most of them can’t go to school now because I can’t pay their fees. LPG prices have gone up, it is difficult to even cook a one time meal. If this continues, we will not be able to escape. Debt and expenses, not Covid, are the biggest crisis,” said Sanjeev Kumar, an activist living in Surajpur.
Shankar, assistant labor commissioner of Gautam Buddh Nagar, said the labor ministry is running a portal for laborers where they can register to avail benefits: “We are continuously registering labourers. As per the policy, they will be given an allowance of Rs 500 per month as part of the measures during the pandemic. This is applicable for both construction workers and people in the unorganized sectors. Once they register on the portal, they can avail the benefits.”
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