The Chennai Metro Rail is facing a significant worker shortage of nearly 40% at its construction sites for the ongoing ₹63,246-crore Phase II project.
This ambitious project aims to create a 118.9-km network across three corridors: Madhavaram to SIPCOT (Corridor 3), Light House to Poonamallee (Corridor 4), and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (Corridor 5). Over the past couple of years, thousands of workers from states like Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh have been employed in Chennai.
According to officials from Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the shortage began in April when many workers returned to their hometowns to vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “We anticipated they would return by late May or early June, but many have yet to come back. We’ve urged contractors to recruit new workers and bring them to the city, but progress has been limited,” one official explained.
Initially, some contractors arranged for workers to fly in, while others traveled by train. However, these efforts have not been enough to close the gap. “We’re facing about a 40% shortfall in workers,” the official added.
Officials noted that the worker numbers are particularly low along the elevated sections of Corridor 5. “Currently, our priority is to open the Poonamallee-Porur segment of Corridor 4 next year, so we’ve mobilized as many workers as possible for this area, and there are no major issues there,” another official stated.
However, sources indicated that even this prioritized segment is experiencing a worker shortage, making it challenging to complete the work by the projected deadline. Elevated corridors typically require more labour than underground sections.
“The workers who previously worked here are now finding jobs in Metro Rail and other infrastructure projects in northern and central India, where they have the flexibility to commute between work and home,” one official noted.
(With Inputs From The Hindu)
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