Pune: Workers start returning to sites for families’ sake

PUNE: For 23-year-old Chandan Kumar, going home to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh was a pressing need in April and May. When he finally secured a pass in May, reached home and spent a month with his family, the reality quickly dawned.
“I realised there was no work in the nearby districts and so I requested my employer to arrange for my return,” Kumar said.He makes about Rs 16,000 a month painting structures and sends Rs 10,000 back home.
Adding the finishing touches with his colleague Santosh Kumar Raj, 34, at Windsor County project in Ambegaon, he said, “I realised that my family will be taken care of only when I work.” Raj said it was important for his family that he get back to work.
Of the 10 people who left for home from the group, eight have returned. “They are expert painters. People from some parts of Uttar Pradesh have this knack. External painting requires more skills which they are good at. People from West Bengal and Chattisgarh are good at centring jobs,” said Sapna Rathi, chairperson of Windsor Shelters.
For Raju Kumavat, a mason working at one of Gera Developments commercial projects in Pimpri, returning seemed like a smart choice to keep his family in Rajasthan on track.
Most realtors expect labourers to start returning in batches from mid-July as livelihood gains importance. “About 10% of the labourers have returned to our sites. Our general contractors are hoping to see more return in small numbers from mid-July. They will be anxious. Counselling and support is being provided to allay any fears,” a representative from Gera Developments said.
Sachin Kulkarni, managing director of Vastushodh, said people are awaiting transport facilities to come back.