TN planning temporary quality shelters for migrant construction workers

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Architects, engineers, academicians and state government are exploring the viability of caravan sort of temporary quality shelters for migrant construction workers working on infrastructure projects.
Durganand Balsavar, principal architect of Artes-human settlements development collaborative, Chennai, said that the idea is still in the initial stage and talks are on with various stakeholders to make it a reality.

He said that most of the migrant workers who are building the cities infrastructure are living in unhygienic condition without basic amenities in their settlements. The idea is to provide them with better homes which will have all facilities, including schools as well as health care facilities in the vicinity.

Interestingly, the idea has been welcomed by official sources. They feel the idea is good but needs wider consultations between various other departments including Corporation commissioner, labour department and Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board.

Balsavar feels that this should not be included in the corporate social responsibility of corporate. This is a basic need and should not be treated as CSR, he feels.

Interestingly, talks are also on with manufacturers of materials, including plywood manufacturers for such temporary homes. Discussion is also happening at scientific levels besides financial agencies, says Balsavar.

Balsavar feels the prime need is to involve the labour welfare boards in this initiative. And it is believed discussions would be held with welfare boards in the first week or second week of January 2014.

He says the migrant construction workers would be trained to build their homes “We will also be providing the electrician, plumbers to reinforce their livelihood skills,” he adds.

Balsavar says the idea has been formulated since the last 20 years. “We have been interacting with the rural migrants on how they are able to settle in informal settlements with nothing,” says Balsavar.

He says the migrants to the city bring along with them a huge knowledge base but since the city never acknowledges these migrants and consider their settlements as eyesore, this knowledge base is disappearing. “These people have enormous design skills and they source materials like plywood, car cartons, old cinema poster and use it in an innovative way, says the architect.

“Our mindset is that construction should be only brick and mortar as such we ignore these innovations,” he says.

Interestingly, these temporary shelters idea has been worked out in the architecture schools in CARE Trichy, Satyabhama University, SRM University and Hindustan College. Balsavar says that the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) Pune is working on similar idea besides North Gujara, Dharavai and Delhi are also tinkering with such ideas.

Interestingly, the idea is also being welcomed by activists working in this field. Independent policy researcher Vanessa Peter feels this is a good move but government should look into the migrant issue as comprehensive one and not compartmentalize into only occupational migrant workers.

All India Additional secretary of Nirman Mazdoor Panchayat Sangh Geetha Ramakrishnan while welcoming the idea feels there is no dearth of such designs but the issue is it should be implemented by the employers and monitored by the government. She also lashed out at the welfare boards for not registering migrant workers on the state. On one hand, they collect levy from the infrastructure projects but not a penny is spent on the welfare of migrant workers who are not at all registered, she says.