Introduction

In the Ahmedabad component, we understood ‘markets’ of land, labour and capital in the construction industry.  We focused on the labour resources and engaged with questions related to processes through which labour is linked to a site, their life-cycle on site, their day-to-day activities, their connections and networks and the non-work time they spend. Through different case studies, labour nakas etc we understood their habitation patterns and activities of the construction labourers. Through this understanding, we developed designs for improved habitation on site for construction labourers. 

Migration

There are different migration cycles that take place at different levels such as country, state, city and inner city/area/locality level. 

India’s Context

• Around 29% of people migrate around India for different reasons like work, education, marriage etc.

• The highest Migration rate in India is because of the inter-city or state marriages happening in the country. 

• Another reason for migration is work related where a large number of people migrate to other cities rural/ urban in search of work.

• There are hotspots that have been identified as the migration hub for the people that offer work opportunities. Some of them being Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi etc.

Gujarat’s Context

• One such migration hub is the state of Gujarat where people largely from the states of Bihar, UP, Rajasthan and Odisha migrate for work opportunities in cities like Ahmedabad and Surat.

• These cities hold industries of textile, diamond etc that offer job opportunities to these migrants.

Ahmedabad’s Context

• The city of Ahmedabad witnesses a large number of migration workers coming from these states as well as districts in Gujarat like Dahod, Panchmahal etc. 

• Surrounding states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh also source some of the workers to Ahmedabad from the district close to the Gujarat border.

• Workers migrate to the city for different types of work, some of them work as construction labors, industrial labors etc.

Inner city/Area/Locality Context

• Due to the large amount of migration in the city, some areas have given rise to labor markets which are basically at road chowks and nakas.

• These nakas accommodate laborers in the city as daily wage workers and help form networks and webs in the construction sector. 

Labour Naka

In the city of Ahmedabad, we identified two major construction labor Nakas, Akhbar Nagar Naka and Thakkar Nagar Naka.

Akhbar Nagar Naka

The Akhbar Nagar Naka is one of the oldest labour Naka located in Ahmedabad that accommodates around 3000 workers daily.

• There are different zones that get formed in the Naka by people from different cultural groups like tribal people from UP and Bihar work as RCC laborers, people from Saurashtra work as plastering and tiling workers, people from Rajasthan work as Tile fitters and they occupy specific spots at the Naka, the divider contain locals that work as laborers or helpers. 

• The workers come to the Naka by 8 am to find work as daily wage construction workers and sit at the Naka till 11 am.

• The rate for the workers is 600 rupees and for the karigar is 1000-1200 rupees per day.

• The average working days for these laborers in a month are 20. Usually, they find work in summers and winters, but it becomes difficult in the rainy season.

• More than 80-90% of the workers get recruited by 11 am and the rest of them who do not get work go back home but won't work for wages less than 600 a day.

• The Karigars get higher wages than construction workers because of their expertise in certain work.

• These offsite construction workers get higher wages in comparison to the onsite construction workers due to no job security or provision for place for residence.

• The migrated workers here have families back in their hometown and they live here in a rented room, cook their own food and save money to send back to the family. When enough money is saved, they go back to their hometowns and return when they fall short again. 

• They come to these cities through a network, mostly they come here by the reference of their relatives or family members who came here in search of work prior to them. 

Thakkar Nagar Naka

The Thakkar Nagar Naka is another such Naka located in Ahmedabad.

•  Laborers come to the Naka at 8AM in the number of 3000 or more to be recruited by contractors.

•  By 9 AM 20 percent laborers are recruited. During monsoon lesser number of people are recruited as only internal work is done. 

• The laborers stay at the naka till 12PM.

• The naka does not necessarily have separate spaces for the contractors and the laborers. The laborers are commonly in groups coming from the same source and having expertise in the same skill whether it be tiling, reinforcements, masonry, centering etc. Contractors approach these groups individually and recruit them. They most probably are in some relation in terms of family or village with the workers. (This is applicable to the whole chain) The only way one can identify them is through their dressing.

• Most of the laborers are from Rajasthan and MP.

• These people are daily wage laborers. They are paid around 800-1200 per day. They send most of the money back to their villages with no change in their lifestyle. They prefer everyday wages rather than being recruited for a period as the salary has a stark difference comparatively and also because as they do not lower their prices go by fixed prices in the naka.

• Women are paid around 600. They get recruited to help alongside their husbands. If their husband does not get work, they also leave the naka with them.

• Women taking their children to work get paid only 300 rupees as they are not working throughout the no. of hours but paying attention to their child for some part of the time.

• They sit on the divider separate from the men.

• Centering and Tiling get the highest pay.

Laws for Migration Workers

There are certain laws made for the migrating construction workers under NBC laws and inter-state migration labors.

The laws under this act made for the migrating construction workers are listed below:

1. Provision of Rest rooms

The contractor is obliged to provide Restrooms or other suitable accommodations in case workmen are required to halt at night and continue the same work for three months or more. These accommodations are to be provided within 15 days of commencement of employment for new or existing establishments. 

2. Provision of Creche

For 20 or more workers, Two rooms (playroom and bedroom) of reasonable dimensions should be provided for children under the age of 6 years of migrant workers if they continue to work for three months or more within 15 days of commencement.

3. Provision of Residential Accommodation

The contractor should provide worker and his family a suitable barrack so as accommodate one room having at least a floor area of 10 square meters, a verandah and adequate additional covered space for cooking food as well as one common sanitary latrine, one common bathroom for every three such quarters

4. Provision of Latrines and Urinals

For every 25 male/female at least one latrine should be provided for male/female.  If the number of males or females exceeds 190, it shall be sufficient if there is one latrine for 25 males or females, as the case may be, up to the first 100, and one for every 30 thereafter.