By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/JODA/KOIRA: Keeping the interest of thousands of stranded workers and labourers, Odisha Government was on Saturday announced to allow them to work, those who have already completed 14-day quarantine period. The decision has sent a huge relief for many industry and mining captains in Odisha’s mineral rich districts like Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Jajpur, who facing labour shortage since the lockdown put in place following outbreak of COVID-19.
Various agencies/contractors has been asked to transport them to workplaces in dedicated and designated vehicles. It was issued through a notification. Sources said near about about 86,000 number of workers of which about 16,000 are from within the State of Odisha, who have been accommodated in 2,610 camps in the various districts of Odisha due to nationwide lockdown.
The state government has decided to allow the stranded labourers in an organised manner so as to reach their place of work as per the guidelines.The industries/ agencies/ labour contractors will be allowed to transport their labourers in dedicated and designated buses from camps to the workplace within the state of Odisha, maintaining social distancing and other relevant safety protocols prescribed by Government.
Such industries/ agencies/ contractors will report the details of such labourers, destinations and buses to the concerned District Collector, through the District Labour Officer. The concerned District Collectors will issue movement pass to such contractors across the districts within the state of Odisha for the said purpose. The concerned Collectors may requisition buses to facilitate such movement, if required. However, the expenditure on this account will be borne by the concerned industry/ agency/ contractor.
In such cases where the stranded labourers do not belong to any particular industry/ agency/ contractor the concerned BDOs/ DLOs shall bring it to the notice of the District Collector/ PD DRDA, who will make arrangements for such labourers to travel to the destination of their workplace in groups. The District Collector will requisition buses for the purpose through Regional Transport Officers. The district Collectors are authorized to make expenditure on this account from the CMRF.
Since the buses in the state are off-road due to lockdown, and only for the aforementioned purpose the buses will be made operational, the monthly payment of road tax for such requisitioned buses will be waived. The Commerce and Transport Department will issue necessary orders in this regard.Since these stranded labourers have already completed the recommended quarantine period of 14 days in their respective camps, the recipient local authorities (Sarpanch/ EO ULB/ Collector) shall not insist upon further quarantine of such arriving labourers, to facilitate their immediate joining of workforce. The PR & DW Department and H&UD Department will issue instructions in this regard to the concerned authorities under their jurisdiction.
The District Collectors of the host and recipient districts shall work in close co¬ordination. PD DRDAs will act as district nodal officer. The District Labour Officer will report to the PD DRDA for this work. At State level, Labour Commissioner and Transport Commissioner will coordinate the matter.The data regarding the daily movement will be compiled by the DLOs, in regular coordination with the BDOs, both at the destination and the recipient district, and will be furnished to Labour Commissioner, on daily basis.A High-level Committee chaired by APC-cum-ACS with PS Labour & ESI and PS Commerce & Transport as members, will review and monitor the movement on a daily basis.
