Volume 15 | Issue 27
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Poor safety puts workers at risk Study finds lung and skin problems prevalent in construction workers Tanay Sukumar
W
hen I use this machine, there is so much dust, that my chest pains and I cough,” says Ainul Haq, whose one hand clutches a drilling machine and the other points towards his chest. “We do not get nose masks, we get only dal-chawal,” says the 22-year-old from Assam. He is a labourer at a metro construction site in Bangalore. He has never gone to see a doctor yet for his chest and breathing problems, because it has “just been seven months” in this industry. On the other end of the spectrum is Sunil Kumar, a site supervisor who has spent at least two decades in the dust, watching apartments being built, from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, and now Bangalore. He is 42, and the handkerchief he uses as a makeshift nose mask has just slipped down to reveal his nose and moustache. He says: “I often go to the doctor. The environment at the site obviously affects the health. The doctor says it is allergy.” Haq adds: “Some workers who work with iron rods sometimes get hurt in their hand. We do not have hand gloves.”
T
he Karnataka construction industry employs about 12 to 15 lakh workers like Kumar and Haq, many of them migrants. A recent study of migrant construction workers in Udupi, Karnataka showed that 33.2 per cent of them have respiratory symptoms. A third of the workers surveyed were not using any personal protective equipment (PPE). The study noted that due to the migratory nature of the work, workers are not available for follow-up. Dr. Ramachandra Kamath of Manipal University, one of the authors of the paper, said: “Anyone who works with ce-
The Karnataka construction industry employs over 12 to 15 lakh workers, most of whom are migrants. COMMON SYMPTOMS Respiratory: Occupational asthma, chronic cough, silicosis Skin-related: dermatitis, rashes, redness with itching
ACTIVITIES THAT IMPACT HEALTH Masonry, crushing, clearing rubble, cement work, grinding and cutting, earthwork, painting, working with iron rods
RECOMMENDED PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT Nose masks, gumboots, hand gloves, helmets ment with bare hands, is going to develop problems. Outside India, they don’t touch cement with bare hands. Here, we are still ignorant about alternative concepts.” He suggested the use of protective gear like gloves, gumboots, nose masks and helmets. Most migrant workers surveyed for the study were from West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. Only 13 of the 340 workers surveyed had a monthly income of more than Rs.10,000, and a quarter earned less than Rs.5,000 a month. Forty per cent of the workers were illiterate. Dr. B.L. Shashi Bhushan of
department of pulmonology at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, said: “Construction work causes lung problems due to chronic inhalation of dust. Continuous inhalation over a long period of time causes difficulty in breathing, chronic cough and allergy.” He added that Bangalore is the “capital city for allergy in India”. Shardul Kaushik, a civil engineer, listed the activities that can expose workers to dust and respiratory ailments: grinding and cutting activities, paints, waterproofing, making of concrete and earthwork. He said: “Workers can protect themselves by regular use
of masks and monthly health check-ups. But they are all too casual about this, because of work pressure.” Dr. Kamath said that the problem exists more among workers who are migrants. “It is more prevalent among them because their livelihood depends only on this work. They work at different places for short periods of time, and there are different practices at each of those places.” Dr. Bhushan said that the only solution is avoidance. “Nose masks are not so effective. In Indian setup, we don’t see masks being used much at construction sites. Surgical masks can help only psycho-
logically. If they use tight fitted mask, they won’t be able to work. It will be so tight they can’t breathe.” He also said that workers should report early symptoms to the doctor. C Palanikumar, general secretary of Karnataka State Construction Workers’ Union, said: “Construction workers face so many lung problems. One solution is to create awareness among construction workers. Classes should be conducted to teach them about this. “Medical officers should be sent to construction sites to teach them about use of nose masks, gumboots and helmets.”
2 THE OBSERVER
Tibetan students gather to celebrate New Year
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
@CatchNews The world’s largest social network loses a fight: sorry #Facebook, hello #NetNeutrality @FinancialXpress #Netneutrality: Trai warns of action beyond Rs 50,000 fine for discriminatory data rates @TheQuint Zuckerberg “disappointed” with #TRAI’s stand on #NetNeutrality
Two Tibetan youth offer their respects in front of the Dalai Lama’s portrait during Losar celebrations
Regina Gurung Celebrating Losar, the Tibetan New Year, in Bangalore gives the liberty to use the Dalai Lama’s photo, according to Dhondup, who runs a Tibetan hostel in the city. Using the Tibetan monk’s picture back home is not possible. Tuesday marked the beginning of the three-day Losar festival, in which more than 200 Tibetans from the city participated. It was organized by the Tibetan Youth Hostel, whose inmates study in various colleges in Bangalore. Tempa Tsering, a representative of the Dalai Lama in New Delhi was the chief guest for today’s event.
Dhondup, the director of Tibetan Youth Hostel, Bangalore recalled his last Losar celebration in Tibet. He said he was a seven-year-old then and does not remember it to be as grand as it is now. “Tibet does not have an extravagant Losar like the way Tibetans in India or abroad do. I called my relatives in Tibet they started the celebration two days back. The celebration is confined within homes or is celebrated as picnics. They cannot have His Holiness’s photo displayed. In that way I feel lucky to be celebrating here.” Losar literally means New Year. According to the Tibetan calendar, the year 2134 begins today. It is celebrated for 15 days, with major celebrations observed on the first three days. In Bangalore it is celebrated for four days.
The students in the hostel come from different parts of South Asia but they said they believe in cultural unity. “The place is like home. A Tibetan from Ladakh is no different from a Tibetan of Nepal. Losar is New Year and coming together of people is celebrated,” said Tenzin Tselha, a firstyear student of St. Joseph’s College of Commerce. Tenzin Rabjyor, a 27-yearold from Ladakh visited to Tibetan Youth Hostel for Losar. He believes it to be a “good celebration” where playing traditional game ‘Sho’ makes “brothers get along”. According to Tselha the most important thing addressed by Tempa was the “leadership of His Holiness and how all the Tibetans are grateful to have him as the leader.” The four-day event is planned from platter to perfor-
mance. “Today we will have a traditional group dance and tomorrow we will have western performance,” said Dhondup. Meat is one of the prioritized dishes served in Losar but Dhondup said that Dalai Lama is leading the way to vegetarianism. “We originally live in icy cold condition where vegetation is scarce so we are compelled to eat meat. Now that we are here in India where we have ample vegetable options I hope it will change.” Sonam Dhundup, president of Students for Free Tibet, Bangalore is celebrating his fourth Losar in Tibetan Youth Hostel said that this is the celebration he always looks forward to. Even the fact that he is away from home does not matter because everyone in the community is his family and Losar celebrates the gathering of people.
@quizderek In #NetNeutrality win, let’s not fall into trap & make only Free Basics the villain.Big Telco Boys, we are watching your every move closely @htTweets #NetNeutrality | TRAI’s ruling decoded: Pay only for what you use, by @journoanirban @malviyamit Young entrepreneurs can now not only dream big but compete with the best in the world. Startup India, Standup India.. #NetNeutrality @rameshsrivats Excellent that people who have access to the internet have successfully decided what’s good for the people who don’t have it. #NetNeutrality
@abpnewstv Disappointed but will not give up: Mark Zuckerberg on TRAI’s #NetNeutrality stand #India #FreeBasics @OfficeofRG Welcome TRAI’s ruling in support of #NetNeutrality. Big win for internet users in India! (1/2)
Tempa Tsering, the chief guest, addresses the gathering at Tibetan Youth Hostel, Bangalore, on Tuesday. (Right) Traditional Losar offerings on display during the celebrations
@OfficeofRG Congratulations to all those who campaigned tirelessly &fought hard to ensure that our internet remains free &equal for all!
Tuesday, February 9, 2016 3
THE OBSERVER
‘Beaten up like cattle’
Protesting students lathicharged, detained Akshaya NA Over two dozen students were arrested and several injured after a police crackdown on a student protest last week. Students alleged that they were “beaten up like cattle” and slapped with false cases. They claimed that the unarmed protest was peaceful and police action was without provocation. On February 3, the students were protesting against poor condition of Dalit student hostels among other demands. Dharani Nagaraj of Bahujan Vidyarthi Sangha (BVS), said: “There are only four bathrooms for 100 girls in the hostel.
These bathrooms don’t have a proper door or lock. The girls have to take bath covering the entrance with clothes, and boys jump over the compound wall and trouble them.” She was leading the protest when the lathicharge happened. According to Prof. Hari Ram, state coordinator of BVS, about 200 students were injured in the lathicharge. The BVS was demanding the Uttar Pradesh model of 30 per cent reservation in private sector for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward castes. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier supported such a reservation policy in October. The march was attended by 15,000 to 20,000 students from across the state.
Police lathicharging students during their protest at Freedom Park (Picture: varthabharathi.in)
Sharanappa, a B.A. student, who came to Bangalore for the strike was lathicharged and lodged in Parapanna Agrahara Central Jail for three days. He was charged under sections 323, 332 and 352 of the Indian Penal Code. He said: “We were marching peacefully raising slogans. The police charged at us without prior notice. Not only were they beating us, they even charged at girls and beat them up like cattle.” Professor Hari Ram, state coordinator of BVS said: “The sight at the venue was miserable, almost 200 students were injured. The police was dragging the students, and they were behaving like beasts.” He added: “All the sections for which the students were booked under were bailable. I don’t know whether the government was able to influence the judiciary, still the students were denied bail for three days.” Praveen of K.C.T. Engineering College, Gulbarga, said: “The police beat me up so hard that I broke my hand. They denied me medication and kept me in jail for three days. When they released me, I was taken to a government hospital where I still wasn’t treated properly for my frac-
A student shows his arm after the lathicharge tured hand.” A police officer in the Upparapet police station confirmed that the arrest was made on the basis of security breach. He said that the protesters marched to Vidhana Soudha and was continuing their activity beyond the stipulated time.
Describing other problems in SC hostels, Nagraj added that there is no water facility and the buildings are in a dilapidated condition. She said this was the condition in other SC hostels as well. In some cases, she said that 15 girls lived in a single room “like sheep”.
Net neutrality army welcomes TRAI nod Mouli Shree Campaigners for net neutrality in Bangalore welcomed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) ruling against differential pricing for internet services on Monday. In a major setback to Facebook’s plan to roll out free internet to the masses in India, TRAI ruled that no service provider shall offer or charge discriminatory tariffs for data services offered, based on content. “This decision is of historic significance in setting a high bar for maintaining complete net neutrality. This decision safeguards the internet as being first an egalitarian social artifact that should afford a level social and economic playing field for all before it is a market good,” said Parminder Singh, Executive Director, Centre for Internet Studies. He also said that while the promoters of price based discrimination claimed that the practice is important for developing countries for a faster connection, TRAI considered the case of India, where there
is a huge number of unconnected people. He said that banning differential pricing under such conditions would let telecom companies “shape the users’ internet experience”. Kiran Jonnalagadda, who coordinates website development on the SaveTheInternet.in campaign, said: “We would like to again thank the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and its chairman Mr RS Sharma for initiating the consultation on differential
pricing for data services by issuing the consultation paper on December 9, 2015 and considering the various comments and counter comments submitted by stakeholders including those made by the SaveTheInternet.in Coalition and its many supporters. “Those volunteering with SaveTheInternet.in would, in particular, like to thank everyone in India and around the world who came out in support of net neutrality for their con-
tribution and support throughout this movement,” Jonnalagadda added. “We hope that it will actually stimulate more healthy growth other than the current monopolies for the growth,” said Vikram Vincent, general secretary of Free Software Movement Karnataka. “The entire Free Basics issue was monopolized by the few companies and only they would get an advantage. With the TRAI ruling against the dif-
ferential pricing for the internet services in India, more companies would compete with each other on a fair scale and provide better services to the users,” he added. “This particular differential pricing is not suitable in the India where the large sections are still not connected. Government should set up infrastructure in the villages. They need to go to the rural areas and invest on the infrastructure first,” he concluded.
4 THE OBSERVER
Tuesday, February 9, 2016 Picture: TripWire
OUTLOOK Time to demilitarize Siachen glacier?
S A failure of diplomacy Tanay Sukumar
tephen Cohen, an American specialist on South Asia, once called the Siachen conflict “a struggle of two bald men over a comb”. Though India and Pakistan indeed resemble the bald men fighting over the largely inconsequential Siachen, the analogy is a bit inaccurate. While bald men have no hair to lose, the two countries are spending crores of rupees per day, often losing soldiers not to the enemy but to nature. All this, even as millions of children go hungry every night on either side of the border. Surely, nationalistic pride and common sense deserve a relook when two armies are left united battling a common killer. What led Pakistan to offer help to rescue Indian soldiers feared to be buried in an avalanche? The conflict has not remained a
A
Gear up infrastructure Oindrila Sarkar
noble idea was mooted by Pakistan at the 5th World Parks Congress, 2003, in Durban, to “demilitarise” Siachen and declare it as a peace park. It is very thoughtful of the Pakistanis, only if you did not understand that “demilitarisation” implies “handing over” of Siachen. Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield is at the northern proximity of the LoC in J&K. But before the denizens of peace editorialise on why both India and Pakistan should demilitarise Siachen, India from the upper and Pakistan from the lower heights, they should go back and flip through the pages of history. Stephen P. Cohen who is “dean of the Pakistan experts” at the Brookings Institution told the Express Tribune, “The Indians tend to be bullying when it comes to their neigh-
conflict against each other. More soldiers have died of treacherous weather conditions, than because of the conflict itself. The number stands at nearly 3,000 from both sides in the last three decades. We need to stop and think, what is it that we are protecting: a piece of territory, or misguided nationalistic ego? Soon after 140 Pakistani soldiers deployed at Siachen were killed in a 2012 avalanche, the then Pakistani army chief had issued a statement favouring demilitarization in the region. But the lack of will on the part of both countries to actually take the step is rooted in mutual distrust. When the dismal cost-to-benefit ratio
is easily visible, trust is an should easily be resolved with common sense. As the Narendra Modi government makes an attempt to bridge relations with Pakistan with a calm, calculated approach, the withdrawal of troops from Siachen
duce. Moreover, there have been voices from both sides favouring demilitarization already. Environmentalists say military presence is aiding the fast melting and pollution of the glacier. It’s true that armies commit to fight until death in the line of duty, and they are proud of it. But to have them live and die in inhospitable terrains at high altitudes and with dreadfully low temperatures, decade after decade, is a failure of diplomacy. Our army is largely made up of soldiers from financially vulnerable families. For them to bear the brunt of a diplomatic failure, by exposing themselves to temperatures often below –50 °C, is unjust. Temperatures as low and altitudes as high
as these are known to cause frostbites, pulmonary oedema, hypothermia, among several other health issues. All this is something which both countries must mutually resolve to avoid. Military conflict comes in when diplomacy fails. The governments must ask themselves whether they have truly given it their all at the diplomatic level. In June 1989, the two countries came very close to demilitarizing the region. But 27 years later, military presence still exists as a stark reminder of our unwillingness to let go of issues to facilitate peace, step-by-step, for peaceful regional cooperation. The larger Kashmir conflict does not seem to die down, but when there are easy steps to cement at least a semblance of a peace process, the opportunity must be taken.
bours but Pakistanis “demilitarisation” giv- tan and the Shaksgam are capable of defend- ing it a noble doveish valley will be restricted. ing their interests.” So, veneer which is all but Siachen is a strategic when he says that Si- a mischievous facade. confluence between achen was “a struggle Demilitarisation will Shaksgam Valley, Karaof two bald men over mean taking over Sia- koram Pass and Aksai a comb”, we might as chen through peace- Chin. Those heights well ask as to whose are vital for Pakistan national interests he is and China’s ingress defending. into India and there India will lose At Kargil, where is a section which the weather goes is crying to hand much more lives down to -48 °C, over Siachen to and money combating defences were Pakistan on a temporarily platter. terror and fighting wars if golden “demilitarised” Pakistan it decides to listen to this has in winter beevery cause the Inditime come to ‘Gandhian solution’ of an troops trustthe negotiatlooking the other ed their Pakistani ing table in the counterparts to not guise of a wolf in way. violate the Shimla sheep’s skin. It is an Agreement. But when all weather ally of the Vajpayee was signing latest shopkeeper the for peace in Lahore we ful means. Only if the world has, China. Towere being served with Amanwallahs under- gether they can explore war. Pakistani troops stood a bit of geopoli- the region’s potentially infiltrated and occupied tics. rich natural resources the heights surreptiAnybody who con- of minerals, precious tiously in the guise of trols Siachen will influ- stones, metals, oil and local shepherds. This ence life in the Nubra hydrocarbons. No cliwar cost us more than and the Shyok Valley. mate can be a deterrent 500 youthful lives. Freedom of unhindered for China to explore Realpolitik is driving movement between a business potential. Pakistan to propose Aksai Chin and Baltis- India will have to sit
and watch the ingress through its backyard as it stimulates the proxy war in J&K and bleed us through a thousand cuts. But when the mercury dips to -58 °C, soldiers are vulnerable to chillblain, frostbite, pulmonary oedema and accidents that cost lives and limbs. Should we combat this by withdrawing or should we develop infrastructure and technology to keep our soldiers warm, fed and armed? India will lose much more lives and money combating terror and fighting wars if it decides to listen to this “Gandhian solution” of looking the other way when we are supposed to maintain eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation. India needs to go all out in protecting its soldiers who are standing on Siachen to secure our nation.
Military conflict comes in when diplomacy fails. The governments must ask themselves whether they have truly given it their all at the diplomatic level. gains even more context. Siachen is one of the easier choices to make, for the amount of costs it could help both countries to re-
Team Observer Editor: Aparajita Khandelwal | News Editor: Reema Mukherjee | Chief Sub-Editor: Tanay Sukumar Sub-Editor: Regina Gurung, Akshaya NA | Picture Editor: Mouli Shree | Layout: Parvathi Benu