Canacona locals have alleged that migrant labourers are taking them for a ride over domestic works and are also causing health hazards. They have demanded enforcement of strict labour guidelines to regulate the working of the labourers, stop them from causing sanitary concerns and to protect Canacona’s local resources.
Migrant labourers are the reason behind the manifold increase in daily wage labour rates and serious sanitary concerns due to mushrooming of shanties, spitting in public places, defecating in the open and increase in rates of rapes and crimes, they claim.
A local businessmen and social worker, Abel Barretto said, “Government is quick to react and enact laws against allegations of labourers’ exploitation, but does almost nothing to safeguard locals from being exploited and looted by outsiders, who are now almost controlling all domestic works and contract workmanship in the State.”
Migrant labourers demand Rs 700 and above for a day’s work which incidentally starts after 9 am and ends by 5 pm, with no control over them. “There is no labour department office in Canacona, neither is there any enforcement of the ban on spitting at public places. There is no verification of migrant labourers being done by the police. They are responsible for rapes, murders, robberies etc. They cheat the locals with their sweet talk by addressing locals as patrao, sir, boss, shet, madam, etc, and later strike, hoodwinking the many gullible locals, especially women,” said elderly resident Kishore Paingankar. The rape and murder of fisherwoman Vijaya Pagui, a year ago, was done by a migrant staying in Mastimoll area, residents point out.
The labourers gather in large numbers at the busy Chaudi junction at around 8 am and 6 pm, creating nuisance to the public and motorists, but no one is concerned.
Giving an example, Barretto said that he had once called a mason to fix frames of six windows and doors, but the mason refused to work on daily wages and stated that he takes jobs only on contract, and quoted Rs 22,000 for the task.
Finding the rate quoted too high, Barretto asked how much was the cost for fixing a single frame, to which the mason replied Rs 600. “When I countered him that total cost works out to Rs 3,600, he settled for that amount and I got the work done for Rs 3,600. This is the enormity of cheating and hoodwinking by these outstation labourers,” Barretto said.
Another local resident said, “We approached the deputy collector’s office armed with a letter to request him to take action, but he didn’t do much. We requested him to fix the wage rate as per the government minimum labour rates. We also requested him to fix item rates with reference to the GSR (Goa Standard Rates) but nothing has been done till date.”
Another local said, “The deputy collector’s approach was casual. When we had submitted a draft to the deputy collector regarding the labour issues, he said ‘people are willing to pay’. This is how our authorities come to the aid of the local people. Whenever our locals get cheated, they keep quiet as they feel ashamed to disclose this to others.”
The migrants believe that the most gullible are women whose husbands are abroad. The labourers come in contact with these women and cheat them easily, said a local resident.
Locals said that a few years ago, some residents came together and had fixed the rates for various works and had even followed the same for some days, but that too fell apart as the move had no administrative sanctity.
“If government and locals don’t do something about this menace, Goa is heading towards becoming another Bihar, and lawlessness, robberies, dacoities, rapes, murder will become a daily affair,” a local said.
