Vijayawada's construction sector suffers from labour shortage

21 Mar 2024 CW Team

The commencement of election campaigns surged across the state following the declaration of the election schedule by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Various major political parties are actively organising public meetings, political rallies, and road shows to garner voter support.

The management of crowds during these rallies has emerged as a major concern for the political parties, leading them to rely heavily on daily labourers. With approximately 56 days remaining until the general and assembly elections, political parties are engaging labourers on both daily and monthly wage bases to participate in their campaigns. Some parties are offering compensation as high as 1,200 per day or 30,000 per month for campaign participation. As a result, daily labourers are increasingly drawn towards political engagements and are declining opportunities for masonry work and other daily wage jobs.

Muni Raju, a migrant labourer from Giddaluru settled in Vijayawada, expressed, "We typically earn barely 700 per day for regular work. However, participating in political campaigns offers us double the payment along with meals and refreshments. Moreover, these campaigns are conducted during the early hours and evenings, minimizing our exposure to the summer heat. We have decided to continue this work until the assembly elections."

Numerous builders in the city have halted construction projects due to severe labour shortages, anticipating a worsening situation in the next 10 days. Aluri Prabhanjan Rao, a builder based in the city, remarked, "This trend of labour shortage has been consistent since 2014. Political parties have been increasing daily payments to campaigners, exacerbating our already dire manpower shortage, leading us to suspend our projects for two months."

The construction and allied sectors are facing a significant shortage of manpower ahead of the election, causing adverse effects. It is observed that daily labourers in urban areas are opting for election campaign work over their regular jobs due to perceived benefits such as reduced workload and prompt payment. The commencement of election campaigns surged across the state following the declaration of the election schedule by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Various major political parties are actively organising public meetings, political rallies, and road shows to garner voter support. The management of crowds during these rallies has emerged as a major concern for the political parties, leading them to rely heavily on daily labourers. With approximately 56 days remaining until the general and assembly elections, political parties are engaging labourers on both daily and monthly wage bases to participate in their campaigns. Some parties are offering compensation as high as 1,200 per day or 30,000 per month for campaign participation. As a result, daily labourers are increasingly drawn towards political engagements and are declining opportunities for masonry work and other daily wage jobs. Muni Raju, a migrant labourer from Giddaluru settled in Vijayawada, expressed, We typically earn barely 700 per day for regular work. However, participating in political campaigns offers us double the payment along with meals and refreshments. Moreover, these campaigns are conducted during the early hours and evenings, minimizing our exposure to the summer heat. We have decided to continue this work until the assembly elections. Numerous builders in the city have halted construction projects due to severe labour shortages, anticipating a worsening situation in the next 10 days. Aluri Prabhanjan Rao, a builder based in the city, remarked, This trend of labour shortage has been consistent since 2014. Political parties have been increasing daily payments to campaigners, exacerbating our already dire manpower shortage, leading us to suspend our projects for two months.