Hyderabad: Construction firms offer flight tickets, extra pay to lure migrant workers back

Several construction firms are unable to meet their guidelines due to a shortage of labour as migrant workers have returned to their home states amid the coronavirus outbreak. To overcome the crisis situation, construction firms in Hyderabad are trying to lure the labourers back to work by offering flight tickets and extra payments.

A senior official of an infrastructure company said the shortage of workers in the city is forcing companies to resort to attracting them with lucrative offers.

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The senior vice-president of Prestige Group, Hyderabad, R Suresh Kumar said that one of their contractors has booked flight tickets to bring back 10 carpenters from Patna to Hyderabad. Justifying the move, Kumar said that though the deadline for completion of real estate projects has been extended, some firms such as his are determined to finish them in a possible time. Currently, the Prestige Group has undertaken three projects in Hyderabad.

“We had about 2,300 workers at our sites. Now, we have about 700. We are putting in all our efforts to see the required workforce is placed at the sites. The aim is to see the projects are completed on time and the product delivered to the customer," he said.

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Labour shortage in Telangana

The Telangana government had earlier said there were about 3.5 lakh migrant labourers working in the state before the lockdown. However, most of them have returned as the lockdown was extended. Some even walked hundreds of kilometers to reach their home states. Though the Centre has allowed construction companies to carry out operations with the available labour, the sudden shortage of manpower is forcing some companies to resort to poaching.

"All are in desperate times. Poaching of workers also started as firms want to complete their projects and get back stalled bills," a senior official of a construction firm said.

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An official of Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Department said nearly 1,200 workers at the Polavaram project suddenly left last month, forcing Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL), the contractor for the project, to arrange special trains to bring labourers from other states.

The official said the workers had left despite offering Rs 10,000 above their payment. Sources in MEIL said about 1,000 workers have returned so far and another 1,800 are expected within a week at the project site.

(With PTI inputs)

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