- Fumes of death choke bidi workers in west UP
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Fumes of death choke bidi workers in west UP
RELATEDRAMPUR: For more than 50,000 workers employed with bidi-making units of western Uttar Pradesh, tobacco dust, and not smoke, is the real killer. Exposed to dangerous fumes and tobacco dust for 12-14 hours every day, an alarmingly high percentage of these bidimazdoors, as these workers are called, fall prey to asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis and even cancer in the long run.
"In Rampur alone, 15-20 bidi mazdoors die of these diseases every month," said Dr Anurag Khanna, a medical officer posted at a dispensary set up here by Union labour ministry to provide treatment to ailing workers.
Of late, Amroha, Rampur, Moradabad and Sambhal have emerged as the hub of bidi-manufacturing industry, where a whopping 30 lakh bidis are rolled every day. These workers are paid a meagre Rs 92 per 1,000 bidis rolled and most of them end up rolling a thousand or more bidis every day.
"The fumes and the tobacco dust pose a serious threat to the workers' lives. The number of such infected workers is rising every day. We can't provide them any treatment and our dispensaries can only refer them to the district hospitals," RN Singh, labour welfare commissioner, told TOI. More than 400 workers visit the dispensary in Rampur alone, he said.
In 2010-11, the parliamentary standing committee on labour in its 17th report on welfare of bidi workers observed, "The bidi industry employs more than 55 lakh workers spreading over 16 States. Women constitute more than 50% of thebidi workforce. Children are also engaged in bidi rolling by their parents to supplement their daily earning. Bidi workers across the country work in filthy conditions. They are forced to breathe in tobacco fumes due to which they easily become prey to asthma, bronchitis and TB."
Former Sambhal MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq, who was part of that committee, told TOI, "The bidi industry co-exists with factory-based manufacturing on one side and a large number of unregistered and home-based enterprises on the other."
According to Barq, under section 3A of the Bidi Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1976, exemption in cess is granted to a manufacturer who produces less than 20 lakh unbranded bidis in a year. Taking advantage of this provision, a number of unscrupulous manufacturers are splitting their businesses into smaller units to enjoy exemption limit and escape paying cess. Sadly, the welfare activities for the bidi workers are financed through collection of cess only.
There are only 4 registered bidi-making units in Rampur and Amroha while the number of unauthorized units here could be many fold of this.
Saleem Khan,55, has been rolling bidis for 40 years and has cancer. His parents were in the same profession and had died of tuberculosis. "Doctors have asked me to avoid tobacco dust, but I have no other option to feed three sons and two daughters. So, I continue to work here."
Since the entire bidi-making process is home-based, most women learn to roll bidis when they are young. The skill also helps them get married since an earning member is welcome in most households. However, a serious lack of awareness about the ill-effects of this profession makes women vulnerable.
Rukhsana,30, learned to roll bidis when she was just seven. She continued with this job even after she got married. Her husband, an embroidery worker, earns a modest income and the family of seven — with three daughters and two sons — is dependent on her earnings too. Rukhsana is undergoing treatment for TB at the district hospital in Rampur. She is paid the standard Rs 90 for 1,000 bidis she rolls every day.
PK Rai, labour commissioner for Moradabad division, told TOI, "There are several schemes for bidi workers covering health and housing loans. But the office of the central labour welfare commissioner of northern India is in Allahabad. And making frequent visits to Allahabad is not easy for the Rampur women."
Fumes of death choke bidi workers in west UP
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