Nagaland construction workers: Unheard, invisible, and at risk

Kohima: Lulu Yhome, 34, is yet to come to terms with the death of her 40-year-old husband Neitho-o Yhome, a construction worker who succumbed to injuries after falling off a two-storied building while fixing the window panes of a newly-constructed house.

The sole bread-earner of the family, Neitho-o, who used to reside in the Kezieke colony in Kohima, is survived by his wife who he married in 2006, and their five children. This fateful incident, one among several cases in Nagaland, once again highlighted the sorry plight of construction workers at their workplaces.

Despite the risks attached to their jobs, the workforce behind the success of the construction industry remains unheard, unnoticed and often uncared for. Sure, there are a few governmental schemes that give medical aid and insurance cover for people in the profession. But unfortunately, Neitho-o was not among the list of 35,000 construction workers registered with the Nagaland Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (NBOCWWB).

“My husband did not have a permanent job. As the lone bread earner of the family, he had to take up more than one job: sometimes as a taxi driver, besides other construction-related work to support our family. On the fateful morning of September 19, he left home for work and around 3:30 PM that evening I received a call that shocked me,” his wife Lulu said, recalling the day that changed her world.

An emotional Lulu told EastMojo that it was her sister who broke the news about her husband’s fall, while at work. “I was doing a household chore when I got the call. Leaving all behind, I rushed to the private hospital where my husband received emergency aid,” she recounted. He was then shifted to the intensive care unit at the district hospital.

A day after the incident, Lulu and her family were informed that the doctors had done everything at their disposal to save her dying husband and suggested the family take him home.

“But my husband was not dead yet and we did not want to give up on him. So we decided to put him on ventilator support till his last breath,” she said. Fighting for his life, Neitho-o, unfortunately, succumbed to his injuries on September 21. She added that she was touched by the unending support from her in-laws, Neitho-o’s employer, the church and their neighbours.

Lulu remembers Neitho-o as a good and honest husband, a loving father, a skilled worker loved for his craftsmanship and a kind and hardworking person. His dream of becoming a theologian remained unaccomplished, and she hopes one of her children fulfils that dream. 

The building and other construction workers are one of the most unprotected sections of unorganised labour, and their voices are often unheard. Despite their vulnerabilities, many construction-related workers and their families are unaware of government schemes and assistance. And Neitho-o’s family was one among those.

About 20 km from Kohima, at Zhadima village, 30-year-old Keduolhoulie Stephen works as an independent carpenter to sustain the livelihood of himself and his family. Speaking to EastMojo, the young father of a 9-month-old girl recounted how he began his journey as a carpenter in 2016 after undergoing carpentry training in 2012-13 at a government institute in Kohima.

Stephen, whose childhood aim was to serve in the army, gave up his dream after failing the physical running test several times. “I dropped out of school in the middle of the class-X board exam as I was not interested in appearing for some papers. Since I was out of school, I decided to enrol myself into a carpentry course when I came across local advertisements for carpentry teachers in the government sector,” he recalled.

After a gap of a few years, in 2016, Stephen started working as a professional carpenter, taking up projects with his friend who later went on to become his brother-in-law. The two, however, initiated separate projects as both married and started their families.

Given the nature of the seasonal occupation, there is always a drastic drop in carpentry work demands, especially during festive seasons around December-January and during sowing and harvest seasons when the general population in the village is preoccupied with agricultural activities.

Stephen revealed that there are months when he could hardly make Rs 300 a day, especially during the off-season. During peak seasons, he can make Rs 600 to Rs 1,000 a day, even working for up to 12 hours a day.

Although he specialises in furniture and other woodwork, Stephen also helps in the construction of wooden houses, wood cutting and painting (wood and concrete).

“Though I have no immediate plans to change my profession, I understand that there are occupational hazards associated with our line of work. I am aware of the risks in handling the power tools we use regularly and the exposure to sawdust and chemicals while undertaking paints and so on,” he said.

While he has never heard of government aid and schemes for construction-related workers, Stephen wishes to receive some help to upgrade his tools and enhance his work. “I have never heard of any help from the government. But if there is, I wish to avail it and invest it in my tools, as for now, I am unable to do it as almost all my earnings are spent in looking after my family,” he added.

So what is the government doing for construction and other related workers?

The state government constituted the Nagaland Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (NBOCWWB) under section 18 of the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOWC) Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service (RE&CS) Act 1996, to provide social security to workers in these professions.

CEO NBOCWWB and Assistant Labour Commissioner T Chubayanger told EastMojo that although there are over 35,000 registered members under the board, only about 15,000 are active beneficiaries who renewed their registrations.

He also informed that registered and active beneficiaries are eligible to avail of insurance coverage, medical assistance under Ayushman Bharat, children’s education allowance for a maximum of two children studying from pre-primary up to Class 10 and maternity benefits for women members or wives of these workers.

The officer informed that under the children’s education allowance, which provides an assistance of Rs 500 per child for up to two children, over Rs 12 crore was spent last year through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the beneficiaries. About 96% of the registered and active members, he said, are permanent residents of the state.

A few cases of accidental deaths at workplaces, he said, have been reported from across the state, where dependents of the NBOCWWB registered, and active members have claimed Rs 4 lakh. In case of natural deaths, he said, the next of kin of the beneficiaries can claim Rs 2 lakh.

A total of about Rs 50 lakh for insurance was cleared last year, he informed. However, he revealed several challenges in insurance disbursement as the Board does not come under the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). For two years, the state government has rolled out the insurance policy on a trial basis, he added.

To register with the board, the NBOCWWB has started online registrations, following the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside live registration at construction sites conducted by the board and the department of Labour.

Registration opens for a window period from January-March every year for workers engaged in the building and other construction workers for a minimum of 90 days in a year, on payment of Rs 25 per month, along with two passport size photos, photocopies of birth certificate, Aadhar card and bank passbook, and a valid phone number.

He informed that communication with workers across the state is a major challenge for the board and the department, for which a short message service (SMS) has been launched to provide timely information to the registered members.

He added that the Board’s website also provides necessary information for registration and eligibility, along with details of schemes and other related information.

Also read | Nagaland Guv stresses on use of art, literature to fight social evils