DIKCHU, 09 June: A team of officials from the Labour Department’s North district office and later, the Project Implementation Committee members were at the 96MW Dikchu Hydel Project site yesterday to take stock of the working conditions there. The 08 June edition of this paper, it may be recalled, had reported on the dangerous conditions under which labourers at the power-house site were being made to work under.
The team from the Labour Department, headed by Deputy Commissioner, KR Limboo, also checked on the welfare activities initiated by the company. They reminded the project developer and its contractual companies of the prohibition order directing that all tunnel-related works be suspended till a bridge was constructed to carr workers across the Dikchu khola.
The makeshift bridge here had been washed away by a flash flood on 01 May, it may be recalled and subsequent contraptions thrown across the stream have suffered similar fates. Labourers are not shimmying across the river on a rather unsteady ‘ropeway’.
Mr. Limboo also advised the project management to install facilities like safe drinking water, setting up of a rain shed, toilets, a project dispensary and other amenities for the welfare of the workers here. It may be recalled that the workers, who had suspended work for one day, had also complained against the lack of these basic facilities at the work site.
Later in the day, members of the Project Implementation Committee were also at the site and met with Sneha Kinetic, the project developer, officials to discuss worker welfare. The work in question has been contracted to Drillcon Infrastructure, a subsidiary of SKPPL.
The PIC members, along with the executive members of the Dikchu Branch of the All Sikkim Democratic Labour Front expressed concern on lack of adequate safety for workers engaged at the work site.
The management was questioned on why it had gone against clear instructions of the Labour Department to suspend all work on the adit tunnel on the far bank until the construction of a bridge.
The management clarified that the ropeway was being used to ferry men and materials for bridge construction work and not for tunneling works. The ASDLF members also took up the issue of retrenchment of some local workmen on what they claimed to be petty grounds by the company and demanded that they be given their jobs back.
The members of Project Implementation Committee also confirmed that the rope supporting the cage [on which workers are pulled across the khola] has been replaced with a new and stronger rope.
AK Dutta, General Manager, SKPPL, informed the committee members that this glide was capable of carrying heavier loads now. He also argued that work on the project has only recently begun and assured that the company was committed to living up to the agreement made with the State government.
“People’s expectations will be honoured in a phase-wise manner,” Mr. Dutta said.
He also asked the committee members to finalize an assessment of the damages caused to public property due to project works so that remedial action can be planned out.
The team from the Labour Department, headed by Deputy Commissioner, KR Limboo, also checked on the welfare activities initiated by the company. They reminded the project developer and its contractual companies of the prohibition order directing that all tunnel-related works be suspended till a bridge was constructed to carr workers across the Dikchu khola.
The makeshift bridge here had been washed away by a flash flood on 01 May, it may be recalled and subsequent contraptions thrown across the stream have suffered similar fates. Labourers are not shimmying across the river on a rather unsteady ‘ropeway’.
Mr. Limboo also advised the project management to install facilities like safe drinking water, setting up of a rain shed, toilets, a project dispensary and other amenities for the welfare of the workers here. It may be recalled that the workers, who had suspended work for one day, had also complained against the lack of these basic facilities at the work site.
Later in the day, members of the Project Implementation Committee were also at the site and met with Sneha Kinetic, the project developer, officials to discuss worker welfare. The work in question has been contracted to Drillcon Infrastructure, a subsidiary of SKPPL.
The PIC members, along with the executive members of the Dikchu Branch of the All Sikkim Democratic Labour Front expressed concern on lack of adequate safety for workers engaged at the work site.
The management was questioned on why it had gone against clear instructions of the Labour Department to suspend all work on the adit tunnel on the far bank until the construction of a bridge.
The management clarified that the ropeway was being used to ferry men and materials for bridge construction work and not for tunneling works. The ASDLF members also took up the issue of retrenchment of some local workmen on what they claimed to be petty grounds by the company and demanded that they be given their jobs back.
The members of Project Implementation Committee also confirmed that the rope supporting the cage [on which workers are pulled across the khola] has been replaced with a new and stronger rope.
AK Dutta, General Manager, SKPPL, informed the committee members that this glide was capable of carrying heavier loads now. He also argued that work on the project has only recently begun and assured that the company was committed to living up to the agreement made with the State government.
“People’s expectations will be honoured in a phase-wise manner,” Mr. Dutta said.
He also asked the committee members to finalize an assessment of the damages caused to public property due to project works so that remedial action can be planned out.
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