DRASS, JULY 13: While the nation closely follows the exploits and sacrifices of its jawans on the treacherous heights of Kargil, another `Army' has been risking and losing lives in a perennial battle of their own. A battle for survival whose foot-soldiers are equipped with torn shirts and pyjamas, hair matted with tar and tired lean legs in cracked plastic shoes.These unsung warriors of the Kargil conflict are a few hundred daily-wage road construction labourers of HIMANC.As Pakistani shells were pounding Drass, Kharbu and Kaksar, these labourers were busy keeping the National Highway 1A motorable for Army convoys and also laying an alternate road to the highway. Two labourers were killed and at least three others seriously injured when a shell hit the highway near Kharbu recently.``We have no option left. This is the only way we can earn two meals a day for ourselves and our families back home,'' said Lukhi Ram Tudu (21) who left his home in district Dhumka, Bihar, a year ago. Interestingly, amajority of these road construction workers hail from Dhumka district, as they are unable to find even casual work there. ``Back home, we get Rs 20 for eleven hours' work a day and a meal of rice. And this too is seasonal,'' said Tudu.HIMANC pays them Rs 2000 monthly, but they have to arrange their daily meals themselves. ``I save Rs 1500 and money order it to my mother and sisters back home in Dale Pahari village,'' he said.The labourers have their own reason and logic to feel secure in a war zone. ``Agar kaam chhod denge, ghar mein chulha kaise jalega (If I leave this job, how can I keep home fire burning?)'' said Jai Singh, another labourer from Dhumka district.Work has become more difficult for these outstation labourers after all the local workers fled the firing range for safety. In fact, there is no civilian left in the Drass township and adjoining villages. ``Fear of being hit by Pak shells is always there. In fact, they (Pak) are trying their best to disrupt traffic on the road and weare their main hindrance,'' said Vijayan, overseer at Drass. ``We cannot abandon work and have to continue, despite casualties,'' he said.The Kargil Headquarters of HIMANC at Kharbatung Plateau has been completely destroyed in Pak shelling and the offices have already shifted to Mulbik, 25 kms away from Kargil. Though these labourers work hard to keep the communication links open, they find it extremely difficult to keep in touch with their families in Dhumka.Tudu has to travel down 25 kms to Ghumri if he wishes to send a letter to his mother. A Matric pass labourer from his home district who is stationed at Ghumri, writes for him. And if he receives a reply, he has come down again to Ghumri so that his literate friend can read the contents. Ironically, the only literate person in the entire group - overseer Vijayan - is from Kerala and knows no Hindi. ``We prefer our own friends to strangers as we trust them with the letter contents,'' said Tudu.There are 34 labourers working on the road in Drasswhile others are constructing the 12-km alternate strip between Kharbu and Kaksar. The workforce here, incidentally, comprises of few Nepali workers also. Dhan Bahadur belongs to Raptianchal, about 400 kms from Kathmandu. Bahadur had a close shave twice during this war - once when a shell hit the HIMANC office in Drass on May 13, and later, when a shell exploded metres away from him. He was fortunate enough not to get hit by a splinter.When asked if he felt scared to see death from such a close range, he said ``Saab, maut ka kya hai. Marna to hai hi ek din (Why fear death, death is inevitable)'' he said. ``Yahan pe marna bhoke marne se behtar hai (Better to die here in war than of hunger)''.Another problem for the Nepali labourers here. ``We cannot send savings to our families as there is no way to send MO home. They (authorities) say they cannot send MO outside the country from here,'' said a Nepali worker.
