BHUBANESWAR: A clogged drain, a leaking water tank and a shanty with inadequate sanitation. That’s where the tragic death of her husband landed Babbi Naik and her four children, who were living a peaceful life in their village at Kusumagada near Ekalpur in Odisha. Though they live in the state capital of Bhubaneswar, the uncertainties of life forced Babbi and her minor son Rudra to toil for a paltry wage to raise the three younger children.
Two migrant labourers from Ekalpur in Ganjam district -- Sushanth Naik and Shankar Naik -- were crushed to death when a huge concrete slab fell on them while demolishing a house at Maradu, near Kochi, on October 26, 2022. Life turned upside down for Babbi, wife of Sushanth Naik, as the family was pushed into intense grief, financial shock, and debt trap. Though the family is entitled for a compensation of Rs 10 lakh, the case is pending before the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) in Ernakulam as the employer has not turned up for evidence collection before the tribunal.
“I was desolate and felt wobbles in my heart after hearing the news. The incident occurred when my elder son Rudra, 16, had passed Class 8. He was unable to attend school and started working to support me. My younger son was just two years old and the girls were six and eight years of age. Later, my family members advised me to shift to Bhubaneswar to raise the kids. The younger three attend school, while I and my elder son go to work. He earns Rs 2,000 per month working at a two-wheeler workshop, while I work as a construction worker for a daily wage of Rs 500,” Babbi tells TNIE.
Frail and unable to endure the stress daily, she works for 15 days a month on an average.
“We live at Champa Pokhari but have to pay a rent of Rs 4,000 per month. Some days, we go to bed on an empty stomach. It pains, but I am forced to rough up my children when they ask for new clothes. People say we will get the compensation. My health has been ruined and I want to return to the village and lead a peaceful life, if we get a compensation,” she says.
The biggest challenge to avail compensation for the family of migrant workers is the submission of documents, says Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID) executive director Benoy Peter.
“It's difficult to contact the family of a deceased migrant labourer because of language and other barriers. The CMID operates the India Labour Line, a national helpline for informal workers in distress, in Kerala. We have also opened a Bandhu Shramik Seva Kendra at Nettoor in Kochi. We were able to take over the case of Sushanth Naik and Shankar Naik with the help of Gram Vikas, an NGO striving for sustainable development in rural Odisha,” he says.
According to Bobby Thomas, a lawyer who represents the families of the migrants labourers, the case has not reached the evidence stage as the owner of the house, where the accident happened, has not appeared before the Employees Compensation Commission for evidence collection.
"Now, the village office may paste the summons at his residence. Once the evidence collection is completed, the case may be settled within a year. There's only one court for the districts of Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Idukki and Ernakulam. So there will only be four sittings a month,” Bobby says.
Meanwhile, experts point out that the state government has to provide a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the family of a migrant worker who dies during work under the Inter State Migrant Workers Welfare Scheme, 2010. However, nobody has received it in Kerala as the family of the deceased labourer never returns to submit the relevant documents.
