In the wake of the recent incident where a church collapsed at Aroor
wherein two workers lost their lives, the Kochi Corporation is planning
to  conduct inspections on various construction sites in the city to
make sure that the workers, especially the migrant labourers, are
provided with enough safety equipment, hygienic conditions and basic
facilities.

Though the Corporation has launched a plan to ensure
the safety and security of migrant labourers in the city, it failed to
execute the plan effectively which invited criticisms from various
quarters.

“Recently, the State Government had given instructions
to provide break for construction workers who work for long hours under
the scorching heat. The   inspections will make sure that the workers
are given mandatory break. Along with that, we will also look whether a
proper register is being maintained at the construction sites for the
migrant workers and whether they are provided with insurance and other
necessary privileges,” Ashraf added.

He said the civic body will
also make sure that the migrant workers are provided with proper
accommodation as instructed by the District Labour Officer.

“We
are planning to launch more programmes for the welfare of migrant
population by joining hands with CREDAI,” he added.The Corporation will
also organise summer check up medical camps for the for the migrant
workers.

Meanwhile, CREDAI officials said the builders have
already launched a plan to collect the details of the migrant population
in the city. “The CREDAI has advised all the builders to keep the
details of migrant labourers with them. Almost all of them are doing
this. We have been gathering details of the total number of migrant
workers in Kochi from the contractors including photo and voters
identity card details. The builders have been doing this much before it
had made mandatory,” said CREDAI president Antony Kunnel.

According
to a recent survey, it was estimated that Kerala has a total of  2.5
million migrant labour population engaged mainly at construction sector.
A majority of the migrant workers are from Orissa, West Bengal, Assam
and Uttar Pradesh.