Odisha government allows intra-state movement of labourers for joining works
BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Saturday allowed intra-state movement of labourers, stranded in various transit camps within Odisha due to the lockdown, for various economic and livelihood activities including agriculture.
As a number of labourers have commenced works across the state both in urban and rural areas, the stranded labourers, who wish to travel within the state for work, are allowed travel in an organized manner, said an official order issued by chief secretary Asit Tripathy on Saturday.
“Intra-state movement of labourers has been allowed to ensure availability of workforce as the state government has recently allowed continuation of activities like agriculture and allied activities, construction of road, highways and bridge in rural areas, private construction in urban areas and industrial activities in rural areas during lockdown. Labourers, who wish to work, will be allowed. There is no provision to allow such stranded labourers to go to their homes during lockdown,” said a senior government officer.
Of total 86,000 number of workers, who have been accommodated in 2610 transit camps in various districts due to lockdown restrictions, around 16,000 are from Odisha, said an official source.
The industries, agencies and labour contractors wilt be allowed to transport their labourers in dedicated and designated buses from camps to the workplace within the state, maintaining social distancing and other relevant safety protocols, said the order.
The industries, agencies and contractors have been asked to seek approval for movement of their workers through the district labour officer, who will issue pass. The industries, agencies and contractors will bear the expenditure for movement of labourers, said the order.
In case the stranded labourers do not belong to any particular industry, agency or contractor, the district administrations have been asked to make arrangements for such labourers to travel to the destination of their workplace in groups depending on the situation.
The district collectors will requisition buses for the purpose through Regional Transport Offices while the state government has also authorised the collectors to make expenditures from the chief minister’s relief fund for the purpose.
“Since these stranded labourers have already completed the recommended quarantine period of 14 days in their respective camps, the recipient local authorities (Sarpanches, municipal authorities or collectors) shall not insist upon further quarantine of such arriving labourers, to facilitate their immediate joining of workforce,” said the order.
To monitor smooth movement of the stranded labourers to their workplace within the state, the state government has constituted a committee comprising agriculture production commissioner Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra, labour secretary Anu Garg and commerce and transport secretary Madhusudan Padhi. The committee will review the progress on a daily basis.
Similarly, the district labour officers have been asked to compile data on movement of labourers within the state at the destination and recipient point on a daily basis and to submit the same before the state labour commissioner.
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