Concrete hopes

Not far from the Khel Gaon stadium under construction for the CWG,is a makeshift camp for the labourers next to the Siri Fort Sports Complex. The last jhuggi in the camp is that of Ramsakhi Devi who along with her husband,Swami and her two sons came to Delhi two months from Tikamgarh in district in Madhya Pradesh.

In the time that they have been here,they’ve realised life in the city is not easy either. After a breakfast of a slice of bread and a tomato,Ramsakhi along with her family makes her way to the construction site. “Our work begins at 8 am.” She is unable to sign against the list of names,as she says “angootha chap hai hum”.

When asked if she knows what she’s helping build,Ramsakhi says despondently,“I don’t know. We go where our work takes us. We were told Delhi would be different – a bigger city,a better life”.

She married at the age of 12 and at 15,became a mother. “My daughter is 11 years old now and my second daughter was born two years later,” she says. She had to leave the girls behind at her in-laws’ in her village. Only her sons–Varun (4) and his elder brother Akash (6) came along.

Swami and Ramsakhi work 10 hours a day as labourers. While Ramsakhi earns Rs 120,Swami earns Rs 200 a day. This is in contrast to the stipulated minimum wage of Rs 142 for 8 hours per day as per labour laws in India. The contractor at the site,who did not wish to be named said,“The women are paid Rs 200 and the men Rs 250. ”

“We don’t get a day off and if I fall ill,I lose a day’s wage,” says Swami,while his children play in the sand and cement unmindful of the searing heat.

At 1 pm,they break for lunch. Sitting next to a brick kiln,Ramsakhi is cooking the afternoon meal. “We can’t afford rice. It’s Rs 20 a kg. I bought 1 kg last week when my son told me he felt like eating some,” says Ramsakhi.

After an hour,it’s time to resume work. There’s no break till 6 in the evening when work at the site stops. Ramsakhi seems restless. “It’s Thursday and today we can get a free meal at the Sai Baba Mandir,” she says. But her day is not over and after she returns from the temple,she has to fetch water for her family.

As per the Contract Labour Act,power,water and other basic facilities have to be provided. But such is not the case. “A pipe has burst near the site from where I can collect it”,she says. She fills her bucket and by the time she gets back to her jhuggi,it’s dark and her shanty is unlit. Ramsakhi says,“I have a dream to see my family having enough to eat and decent clothes to wear.”