ADILABAD: With temperatures touching 45 degrees celcius in Adilabad district, MGNREGS labourers are forced to work without any shelter because the tents meant to provide them some respite from the burning sun have been kept by the field assistants in their own homes or for use at private functions. The high temperatures have caused many labourers fall sick.
Temperatures are likely to rise further in the coming days and the plight of those working in the open under the employment guarantee scheme, will be pi-tiful. Labourers in the villages are sleeping under the shades of trees near their workplaces and fetching water from nearby agriculture wells.
This correspondent did not find any erected sha-des (tents) supplied by the state government at the workplace for the labourers to rest under. On enquiry it turned out that the field assistants kept the tents in their homes as the workplace was close the labourers’ houses and bringing the big shade to the workplace was difficult. Hence they avoided erecting the sha-des at the workplaces. It was also said that the tents were rented out for private parties, especially during the marriage season.
Government officials who have to visit the wor-kplace and ensure that the shades are erected and medical kits are available at the workplace, as also drinking water, have failed to do so. Sangepu Borranna, district president of the Rythu Athma Hatyala Nivarana, said it was unfortunate that the MGNREGS labourers have to take shelter under trees because of the missing tents.
He said there have been around 20 cases of labourers fainting in the last 15 days due to the high temperatures in the district. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme guarantees 100 days of paid work a year to any rural person who asks for it, and if correctly implemented, could alleviate rural unemployment during the lean months. The officials concerned claim they have just supplied 35,341 medical kits to wage seeker groups in the old Adilabad district.???
