Enrolment drive of building workers successful

Hyderabad: Efforts to bring construction workers under the purview of the Telangana Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board (TBOCWWB) are bearing fruit. As part of the drive, State government authorities enrolled 15,289 workers in February visiting places of their congregation and construction sites. Across the state 9,64,889 construction workers were registered with the board. an additional three lakh workers are yet to be brought under the board’s purview.

In case of fatalities at work place and accidents causing physical disability, the board pays ex-gratia out of 1 per cent cess (for constructions costing over Rs 10 lakh) collected from builders – private and government. TBOCWWB Secretary and Chief Executive Officer E Hanumantha Rao said that the state government is prompt in disbursing ex-gratia and maintained that over Rs 90.32 crore has been disbursed to the affected and bereaved families.

Over 72,133 families were benefited by the gesture. “In spite of taking precautions, over 654 construction workers lost their lives,” said Hanumantha Rao. The bereaved family members of the worker, in case of death at work place, get an ex-gratia of Rs 6 lakh.

So far, the board collected Rs 597 crore through cess. The State government has been implementing 11 schemes to benefit the construction workers engaged in unorganised sectors. Further, the board helps the worker augment skills and spent Rs 10 crore during the current year towards augmenting construction workers' skills. The training enables the workers to keep pace with the modern technological methods employed in construction sector.Under the marital benefits scheme; a construction worker's girl child will be given Rs 20,000 as gift at the time of marriage.

To be able to derive benefits under the scheme, the construction worker must have registered with the board. According to the Secretary, under the scheme over 11,851 workers derived the benefit.

“Over 227 workers received compensation between Rs 4 and Rs 5 lakh per head under disability relief. Over 8,508 persons who met with natural death received a compensation of Rs 60,000 per head. To be able to derive benefits, each worker should register his or her name with the board and renew it annually by paying Rs 12.

In case of difficulty in renewing it annually, the members can seek a five-year membership paying Rs 60,” Hanumantha Rao said. CITU leader Eswar Rao points out that most of the works workers being illiterate are finding it difficult to fill various forms, furnishing supporting documents and remitting challan in the State Bank of Hyderabad.

Sanjeev working for the welfare of the construction workers urged authorities to simplify formalities and undertake field visits to ensure no construction worker is left unregistered with the board. Pointing out that out of Rs 597 crore, only Rs 90 crore could be disbursed as compensation, a mere 7 per cent of the total quantum he urged the board to expand objectives of the board and support education of the Wards of the workers. He called for provision of infrastructural amenities like drinking water and toilets at construction sites and places where the workers congregate.

“A sum of Rs 400 crore is yet to be recovered by the board from Andhra Pradesh. Unless bifurcation of assets takes place, the funds are not going to be transferred to Telangana. If the board strives to bring back the funds, more welfare and development programmes for workers can be undertaken,” he added.