DHARWAD: Election time has come as a boon for many labourers in Dharwad district. This is the time for them to make some quick money with political parties hiring them for campaigns and various events.
This, however, has affected construction work and other jobs that require manual labour. In fact, the last few weeks have seen fewer labourers working in agricultural fields as well.
Kamruddin Sayyad, a painter and a contractor, said labourers have become increasingly unavailable after the political parties announced their candidates. “Many labourers would come to us seeking work. But after the elections have been announced, we are now going in search of them,” he said.
“We pay each labourer Rs 300 to Rs 400 per day depending on their experience and quality of work. They toil for six to eight hours to earn that money. But during the elections, it is a different scene. Political party workers take them in vehicles for campaigns and also provide them food and money. This scarcity will continue till the elections are over,” he added.
Salim Bijapur, a civil works contractor, said that usually labourers from surrounding villages and Dharwad city gather at CBT and nearby places. Contractors pick up labourers from there. But now there are very few labourers for hire.
Anapurneshwari P H, a resident of Rajatgiri who is renovating her house, is also hit by the dearth of labourers. “The construction at my place has stopped. For the last 10 days the contractor has been saying that there are no labourers available,” she said.
While the labourers have to slog to make Rs 400 per day, political parties pay them a decent amount without much physical labour. One such labourer said, “Our intention is to earn some money for our daily bread. Only once in five years do we get such an opportunity to earn some money without much strain. The parties inform us about the event venues and time through phones. In the last one month, I have made Rs 4,000 from various political rallies and functions.”