Workers who labored on the upgrade of the Pakhri-Bas–Sanne Road in Pakhri-Bas Municipality have complained that they have not received their wages.
Hundreds of laborers who sweated on the road construction have complained about not receiving their pay.
The laborers, who make a living by earning daily wages, have been waiting for their wages for work completed over a year ago. A long time has passed since the road work was completed. However, laborer Kapendra Magar stated that he has still not received payment. According to him, more than 100 laborers like him have not been paid for the work they did on the road, even after a year.
Under the budget for Fiscal Year 2023/24, the Koshi Provincial Government and Pakhri-Bas Municipality jointly upgraded the road at a cost of Rs. 13 million. From laying gravel to building masonry walls and other structures, all work was completed on time. While the project appears successful on paper, its impact on the lives of the laborers has been the opposite.
According to the laborers, the construction company, Kaushiki Construction Services Pvt. Ltd., employed them but has become unreachable without paying wages. The main contractor, Sitaram Bhattarai, and the petty contractor, Uttam Kutuwal, have reportedly been shifting responsibility to each other, leaving laborers uncertain. One points to the other, but no one has paid the workers for their labor, the laborers complain.
For workers dependent on daily wages, this is not just an issue of payment but also a matter of livelihood. The laborers feel as if they were beaten in the stomach after working. Some have taken loans to cover household expenses, and some have reported that their children’s education has been affected. Even after approaching the concerned authorities, the laborers have not received any concrete answers. When the laborers raised their wage issue with Pakhri-Bas Municipality, they were reportedly told that the contractor must be brought in first, and only then would anything happen. This, the laborers say, raises questions about the municipality’s monitoring and accountability.
Pakhri-Bas Municipality Chief, Gyan Bahadur Gurung, stated that the problem arises when laborers come after a long time, once the contractor has finished the work. He added that it is difficult for the municipality to locate and bring the contractor. In several parts of the country, delays and wage disputes have been reported in development and construction work. The case of the Pakhri-Bas–Sanne Road in Dhankuta has become one such example, where development work is completed, but workers’ rights remain neglected. Although the Pakhri-Bas–Sanne Road has connected the village to the town, the laborers’ suffering has not received timely redress.
Article 34 of the Constitution of Nepal, 2015, defines and provides for the right to labor. Subsection 2 of the same article states that every worker shall have the right to fair wages, benefits, and social security based on contributions.