The Plight of Internal Migrant

Labourers

Faculty Advisor: Ms Kuntirani Padhan

Location: Balianta (Cuttack District)
Laws involved: Inter State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979, The Building and other construction
Workers act 1996.

Activity Report on Field Visit Migrant Workers Sites in Odisha

There are several issues faced by the migrant workers at the destination place. Odisha has a long
history of being the destination place of distressed living beings who are humans as well.
Migrant workers at destination areas remain marginalized and have limited access to basic
amenities. A two day visit at the Balianta (Cuttack district) is an initiative in that direction to
strengthen collaboration of activities of the organization working on internal migration.
It has been realized that the state government needs to be sensitized on the issue of migrant
laborers who remain outside the purview of development schemes and initiatives. Some major
issues faced by these human beings are as follows:
Working Conditions
Wages
Health
Identity
Education
Drug Abuse
Sexual

and

Mental

Exploitation
Wrongful Restrain
Religious Biasness
Gender Biasness

On the first day of the trip our team visited the Brick Kilns situated in Balianta (Cuttack District)
and observed the working conditions and wages of the laborers.
It was observed that there were no medical facilities or proper sanitation facilities available at the
work place; moreover, even clean drinking water was not available as well. In addition to all
these miseries, a single worker has to work for around 14-18 hours a day in scorching heat.

As far as wages of these workers were concerned, they were paid way below the minimum
wages which is 200 INR for unskilled workers and 260 INR for highly skilled workers. After
asking one of the laborers about the wages, we got to know that they work here for 6 months and
for 6 month they receive 12,000 INR after their living expenses. On the other hand, a brick kiln
owner earns around 8,00,000 INR every month which makes their annual turnover around
whooping 50,000,00 Rupees every year.
It is realized that the contractors do not even spend 5% of their annual income on the people who
make it possible them. For them, these internal migrant workers are some creatures or robots and
they dont even consider them humans. The lives of these nowhere people can be easily made
better if these contractors provide better wages and facilities. But, according to me it is the
contractors or owners who are not human beings.
On the second day of visit, out team visited the residents of these nowhere people and our
purpose was to ask some questions to them about their condition. The general questions asked
were:
1. Original Residence?
2. Current Residence?
3. Education Qualification?...............................
4. I.D Proof?..
5. Retention of I.D. Proof by contractor or any other person?..
6. Working Conditions/Safety/Accommodation is hygienic or not?........................
7. Married?................Children?...................
8. Approximate expense of the family per month?....................
9. Total income of the family?........................
10. Insurance?.......................

11. Expected
Wages?..
12. Promised Wages?.........
13. Actual Wages?.............
14. Any Loan?.................
15. Normal Work
time?
16. Overtime?.
17. Whether overtime is paid? ..
18. Withholding of wages?....................
19. Difference in the wages of Men and Women?..
20. Any kind of THREAT(Physical/Sexual/Mental)?...............................
21. Religious Biasness?............................
22. Psychological compulsion, i.e. an order to work backed up by a credible threat of penalty
for non-compliance?
23. Restriction of Movement/imprisonment at the workplace?............................
24. Deceit or false promises about the form of work or working conditions or
wages?......................
25. Any kind of Drug Abuse?......................
26. Were Unemployment Allowance was paid at original residence (before migration)?
27. Any knowledge about National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005?

There were no incidents observed regarding drug abuse, biasness or any kind of harassment by
the contractor, however, the living conditions of the workers were really inhuman.
One good thing I found was that the polio drop social workers arrived at the same time when we
were asking questions. It really felt good to see someone cares.
Sabita Sahoo, 35, a migrant laborer, works in a brick kiln unit near Balianta in Khurda district of
Odisha. Severe poverty and debt, brought on by landlessness, force her family of five, including
her children, to move out of their village in Bolangir district in search of suitable livelihood
opportunities.
Official data reveals that every year 1,18,451 lakh people, engaged by recognized labor
contractors, migrate from
the

Kalahandi-Bolangir-

Koraput

(KBK)

region.

The government has given

licenses

to

3,046

contractors.
However, estimates of the
Migration Information and
Resource Centre (MiRC),
Aide et Action South Asia, a local non-government organization, put the number of migrant
laborers at five lakh, mainly drawn from the southern and western districts of the state.
As per MiRC, more than 60,000 families, or two lakh people, from the districts of Bolangir,
Nuapada, Kalahandi, Boudh, Sonepur and Bargarh go to Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil
Nadu and Karnataka.
Additionally, around 40,000 to 50,000 people find work at the 150 brick kiln units that are
located within a 40-kilometre radius of the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Yet, its not
easy keeping a track of these migrants.

Migration begins in October and goes up to the onset of the monsoon. Unfortunately, most
seasonal workers recruited by agents are no better than bonded labourers and cant go anywhere
during their contract period, although some migrants, mainly from Ganjam district, who work in
Surat, Gujarat, are strong enough to leverage their rights. Where the employers do consent to
granting leave, mainly during emergencies, the womenfolk and children have to stay back and
work till the men return.
Sukanti Kuanr, 55, who has spent a better part of her life toiling away in various brick kilns in
her, as well, says, Only the menfolk are allowed to leave the work site and that too after the
agent has had a word with our sardar (as the middlemen are called). Women have to stay and
work extra time to compensate for the losses on the job.
Work at a brick kiln is hard, back breaking and endless. The brick-making process runs like an
assembly line. Clay is first mixed and balls are made out of it. These balls are molded into
bricks.
Naturally, everyone in the family, including the children, ends up working seven days a week.
The wages depend on the number of bricks churned out every day.
Despite the state government having a special labor cell to monitor migration, both within the
state and outside, and to keep tabs on agents involved in illegal practices, it has been largely
ineffectual. It is also believes that there must be some grievance redressal mechanism, which
does not exist at present.
Given the fact that the first thing that migrants lose when they move out of their villages is an
identity, simply keeping tabs on the contractors is not enough, The government must be more
proactive in protecting the interests of seasonal and regular
migrants, many of whom dont even know their basic rights.
For the awareness of the plight of these NOWHERE PEOPLE,
a short movie was made. SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW
THROUGH YOUR SMARTPHONE TO DIRECTLY GO TO
THE VIDEO.