Construction workers who got stuck at different cities including capital Dhaka and district towns are passing inhuman life as most of them are not getting any government relief. “I have not any job for more than a month. If I do not get any financial help or food from the government or other people, I have nothing to do without starving,” said Billal, a 35 years old construction worker who used to work part-time at different areas in the capital told Bangladesh Post.
No representatives of the government have included our name in the relief list as we are not permanent resident in Dhaka, said a day labourer who was sitting at a roadside in Basabo area in search of food. ‘I am not a beggar but the situation is forcing me to beg for food,’ he lamented. Lablu, a construction worker in Mugda area said, “I did not go to my village thinking that the situation would be normal soon. I have spent all of money that I had. Now, I’m passing a miserable life here with my family.”
Like Lablu, thousands of construction workers are unable to maintain their daily family meal as they lost their earning sectors amid countrywide shutdown due to coronavirus (COVID-19) spread. Abdur Razzaq, General Secretary of Imarat Nirman Sramik Union Bangladesh, said that destitute construction workers did not get any relief or any promise of getting it later even after perusing the labour ministry, department of labour, district administrations and city corporations since March 31.
He said, “About 38 lakh construction workers, including, mason, painters, carpenters, rod binders, mosaic workers, sanitary technicians, labourers involved with the construction works across the country. Losing their daily work, most of the workers are passing inhuman life now.” ‘Labour ministry secretary KM Ali Azam and labour department director Aminul Islam could not give us any solution while district administration officials said that relief would be distributed by the city corporations,’ Razzaq said.
Bangladesh Awami Nirman Sramik League general secretary Mehedi Hasan said that the organisation was making a separate list of its estimated 12,000 members to be placed directly to the Prime Minister’s Office by Friday. ‘We will not wait for any official or leader,’ he said. Dhaka district administration additional deputy commissioner Abul Fateh Mohammad Shafiqul Islam said that the district administration received a list from INSUB and forwarded it to the Dhaka South City Corporation along with several other lists submitted by many other organisations of non-formal workers.
‘As per the rules and latest instructions, city corporations will distribute relief at the doors of the needy through the councillors,’ he said. City corporation officials said that they would not provide relief to the workers but the councillors will distribute relief among the destitute of the slums. On the other hand, Councillors said that they would distribute relief after verifying whether they were permanent residents and were national identity card holders. Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon said that he targeted to provide food supports to 50,000 poor people under his territory.
Asked about the matter, DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon said, “As part of our relief distribution programme, we are providing assistance to the poor people through local councilors and regional officials in each ward. They are making a list of destitute people and providing food after verifying the list.”
