After getting flak for cancelling trains to transport migrants workers to their homes, the Karnataka government , on Thursday received consent from Bihar government to run one special train daily for a week from May 8-15.

According to state government officials, consent is awaited from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkand, Manipur, Tripura, Odisha, and West Bengal.

Earlier the same day, Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar in a note to employers warned to issue notices to those employers who have not paid the salary or paid reduced wages to workers for the month of April 2020.

Additionally, to retain migrant workers in the State, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had announced payment through DBT additional ₹3,000 per worker in addition to ₹2,000 already announced as relief. This is likely to help 15.80 lakh registered building/construction workers in Karnataka.

After the lockdown, thousands of migrant workers demanded to go to home and worried contractors, under the banner of CREDAI, had approached the government for relief.

A special meet was chaired by Yediyurappa and directions were given to the ministers to convince the labourers to refrain from returning to their home States. The labourers were urged to avoid unnecessary travel.

Engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) contractors involved in large infrastructure projects faced the pinch. EPC companies, where a large number of migrants are employed, are entirely dependant on government-funded dry grocery items and fresh food packets.

EPC contractors struggle

Bijay Agarwal, MD, Salarpuria Sattva, said: “The construction workforce in Bengaluru primarily consists of 70-80 per cent of migrant workers and they are on the verge of leaving the State. Post this unprecedented lockdown period due to Covid-19, government should take active measures to retain these labourers to effectively manage the construction levels, otherwise developers will have to suffer a huge retaining cost and this will also transmit into delayed project deliveries.”

Roshin Mathew, Executive Director and President Engineering, Brigade Group, said: “To mitigate the migrant workers crisis, we, along with our contractors, have taken good care of the workers during the lockdown – be it healthcare, counselling, rations or monetary help. However, some workers might want to go back to their home states. We will not stop anyone wanting to go back, but we advise them about the quarantine in their home states and also on their return to work, and the potential loss of income during this period.”

He added, “Perhaps, at this point in time, it may be better for them to work here and send money home, if there is no pressing requirement. We also advise them on chances of getting infected during the journey and urge tehm to go back once normalcy returns.”

‘Importance of health and safety’

Satish BN, Managing Director–India, Skydealz India Property Services, said: “The government has been supportive on a fair financial aid for the sector. However, there should have been a PPP — Public Private Partnership between the builders/contractors and the government jointly — to retain labourers, this could have resulted in handling the crisis in a better way.”

He added: “The aspect is not just about the construction industry or real estate loss, but more importantly the issue of health and safety and by allowing these migrants to move to their home towns. Ensuring their stay would have resulted in not just financial gain, but also health and safety measures not only for them, but for the entire country.”

Outlook

JC Sharma, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Sobha Limited, is optimistic. He said, “The business community across the world have been impacted. Real estate sector is no exception. Real estate has always been considered as a stable channel of investment. This is even more evident with the current volatile markets. Further, for Indian consumers, home buying is an emotional decision, which is unlikely to change.”

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