Rayagada: A troop of labourers engaged at road construction work under Kolnara block in Rayagada district are allegedly being underpaid. Government orders in regards to the remuneration and payment is thus being flouted and kept at bay.
A stretch of 12 km long from PWD road to Badakhilarpadar is being constructed under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. And the District Rural Development Agency, the contractor is under question.
Some 60 labourers from nearby areas are working on this road construction work here but they are not being paid their actual wages.
As per the government’s direction, minimum wage for an unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled and highly skilled labourer is Rs 280, Rs 320, Rs 370 and Rs 430 respectively.
Going by this direction, these labourers are to get minimum Rs 280. But taking the advantages of their innocence and ignorance they are being settled at Rs 150/- per shift. Moreover, there is neither drinking water facility nor facility for rest at the work site.
When asked as to why the labourers were being paid less than the government fixed wages, the supervisor at the site said he did not know about the minimum wages having been fixed by the government.
At the same time, higher officials are sitting pretty being mute spectators to such illegality in a government work.
Resentment is brewing among the labourers. And if no step is taken to give them their right wages, their pent-up anger might lead to agitation, locals maintained.
Labourers case from the Kolnara block is not an isolated one. There may be other such cases in other parts of the district as well, they alleged.
PNN
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