29/04/2021 Desperate migrants taken for a ride by unscrupulous contractors - The Hindu KOCHI Desperate migrants taken for a ride by unscrupulous contractors M.P. Praveen KOCHI , APRIL 22, 2021 00:50 IST UPDATED: APRIL 22, 2021 00:50 IST They are left in the lurch unpaid after being taken to faraway places for work Mahabal Haq, a migrant from West Bengal, along with four others had gone from Perumbavoor to Kanjikuzhi in Idukki for construction work lured by the prospects of higher pay. The work has been long over but they are yet to get their wages to the tune of ₹53,250. Another migrant Hasibul along with nine others based in Pookattupady was hired for an assortment of jobs across Ernakulam district but were likewise left unpaid their collective wages of ₹50,315. “Now the contractors who engaged us are not even attending our phone calls,” rued Hasibul helplessly. Similarly, Paseedha, a Bihari migrant from Kakkanad, and friends were allegedly cheated by the contractor who scooted without paying the ₹49,882 he owed them. Desperate migrants looking to supplement their income to compensate for their loss of livelihood during the lockdown and to feed their impoverished families back home are being taken for a ride by unscrupulous contractors and sub-contractors. “They are often taken to faraway places in districts other than Ernakulam and are then left in the lurch unpaid. Some contractors thereafter never even pick their phone calls and there have been even instances in which poor migrants were threatened for asking their https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/desperate-migrants-taken-for-a-ride-by-unscrupulous-contractors/article34380409.ece?fbclid=IwAR2… 1/3

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