Even as the long-delayed flyover between Bengaluru’s Ejipura and Kendriya Sadan remains incomplete after close to five years, some workers have allegedly not been receiving their wages for seven months. The workers were employed by the contractor Simplex Infrastructures Ltd at the behest of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). However, recently, after being pulled up by the High Court over the delay in the project’s completion, the BBMP cancelled its contract with Simplex.
The cancelled contract has left the workers anxious, as they have allegedly not been paid salaries for months even before the High Court’s order. After getting wind of the issue, the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) has submitted a complaint to the state Labour Department, demanding immediate payment of the workers’ overdue wages. According to the complaint, six workers — who worked in various capacities including as plant operators and helpers — have not been paid their dues. The amount ranges from Rs 80,000 to Rs 6 lakh each. While three of the workers were not paid for five months (March to July 2021), the other three were not paid for seven months (August 2021 to February 2022).
According to the Bangalore Mirror, the workers were housed in accommodation provided by Simplex. However, according to the complaint, four of them returned to their hometowns “with great difficulty”, as they could not afford to continue living in the city. “It is shocking that the workers have not been paid the wages for so many months. BBMP, being the state, is required to act as a model employer, and ensure the payment of wages to the concerned workers,” the complaint states.
The Ejipura-Kendriya Vidyalaya flyover began in 2017 at an estimated cost of Rs 204 crore and with a two-year deadline. And according to the Bangalore Mirror, the contractors were being paid almost Rs 75.11 crore until September 2021. But the workers, who were earning between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 per month, were the most adversely affected. The complaint seeks the immediate release of funds to the six workers, and also demands action against Simplex for violating the Payment of Wages Act, 1936.