The ongoing political unrest, continuous hartals and blockade programmes are talking a toll on the day labourers, especially the ones who work at construction sites, as it becomes difficult to find work during hartals and blockades.
Most construction sites are inactive during such political programmes because vehicles carrying the raw materials fail to deliver at the sites.
When asked, a construction worker, Abul Hossain, said since there was no work, many construction workers failed to manage meals for their family. “My family has been skipping meals for the last four days. My three sons, two daughters and a daughter-in-law have been living on puffed rice, rice flakes and water.
Abul, who was sitting idle with a spade at Maona intersection of Sreepur upazila in Gazipur, said he was unable to find work for the last four days and if such a situation prevailed, construction workers would starve to death.
He came from Mymensingh’s Fulbaria upazila to Gazipur in search of work about three years ago and has been bearing family ex-penses since then by working as a construction worker.
Salma Akhter, 45, has been working as a construction labour since the day she came from Netrokona. She said: “Our daily wage has decreased because of the political programmes for last few days. Previously, we used to get Tk300 but now the wage was Tk200.”
“I could not find any work since December 7,” Salma added.
Rahima Begum, 35, a day labourer at MC Bazar area of the upazila said: “We have been passing days without eating any proper meal. Shop owners do not want to give any goods without money and I already have payments due in many shops.”
Abdus Sobhan, another construction worker, said: “I have been spending money from my savings to feed my family but that to will soon exhaust.”
Mostofa Kamal, proprietor of MS Faysal Enterprise, said: “We could not resume construction work for last 15 days.”
He said: “I have received the construction work of two roads – Maona Bazar road to Dhaka-Mymensingh link road and Kaoraid-Joinabazar Road to Dhamrai Road from Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) but the construction work is halted as stones could not be brought from Sylhet during the blockades.”
“So, labours are also not get any work,” he added.
Masud Rana, another raw materials shop owner at Sreepur Bus stand area, said his shop has been empty since the last week of No-vember.
He said if the blockades were stopped the buyers could get the materials and resume halted construction which would also give the day labours work.