By Anuradha Nagaraj in Khavda, Gujarat
A vast migrant labour force is helping India meet its ambitious renewable energy goals, drawn by promises of good wages and perks. But many say they are forced to ‘escape’ without pay
A month into his new job at the world’s largest renewable energy park in Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch, Anawar Alam was planning his escape. Hired along with 17 others who had travelled with him to work on the construction of a solar project, Alam had hoped that the promised pay and perks would support his family back home on the farm in Bihar. But within two weeks he was having second thoughts.
“Nothing really prepared us for where we would be working or the fact that it was so far from the nearest village. The work was strenuous, the shifts were 12 hours, and we were living in makeshift tents,” says Alam.
Alam is one of thousands of young migrant workers who are signing up to work in the remote, salty marshland of Kutch district. Drawn largely from the hinterlands of Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, they arrive in their hundreds to work on the construction of solar projects, encouraged by contractors who promise good wages, facilities and steady employment.
However, for many of the men, mostly in their 20s, the job is short-lived, as they say a complex chain of subcontracting results in long delays in payment, harsh living conditions with little access to power, clean drinking water and other amenities.
Workers say that as a result, most return home after a few months, losing wages and opportunities in a sector that is seen as key to creating green jobs.
“There have been a few complaints, and we have immediately taken action,” says a senior official at the labour department of Bhuj city in Kutch, who requested anonymity. “We encourage workers to report wage theft and other issues. But not many come forward given that most are migrant workers.”
Migrant workers are often not familiar with the place they migrate to work and are unaware of complaint procedures. In addition, language can be a barrier and if they have returned to their home states, they may be unable to travel back and forth to pursue their case.
