The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday allowed construction work within its jurisdiction to resume, thereby slightly easing lockdown norms even though the city remains within a red Covid-19 zone.
The civic body has also allowed transportation of construction materials between 10 pm and 5 am. The corporation, however, has made it clear that construction firms can only use labourers from within the city limits. No labourer can be brought to the city from outside the BMC’s limits for construction work.
The BMC reviewed an order of the revenue and disaster management department issued on April 19, and allowed three things to resume in the city. One, engagement of construction workers in project works within the BMC limits, provided that the labourers belong to the area where the work is under way. Second, sale of construction materials and reopening of shops selling such material. Third, transportation of materials from shop to site but only at night, said BMC commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhury.
The BMC officials said the restriction on entry of labourers from outside the city limits was imposed as Bhubaneswar was a Covid-19 hotspot. “We have asked contractors, developers and builders to strictly adhere to social distancing norms,” said a BMC officer. The officer further said the permission given to labourers to work did not apply to containment zones, which are under surveillance.
The BMC has identified 57,200 labourers in Bhubaneswar who will get financial assistance as they have remained idle for the past month. Each labourer will get Rs 1,500 in cash or bank transfer. “To start with, we will distribute the assistance in Salia Sahi, which is the biggest slum of the city and which has the highest number of construction workers. To ensure that social distancing is maintained, we will try to go for money transfer,” said the officer.
“We will distribute the assistance during morning or evening. We will stay in touch with the labour department to get the bank details of the registered labourers,” said BMC additional commissioner Suratha Mallick.