Dist labour centres lie idle

The labour welfare centres in Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat are beset with manifold problems. Especially shortage of manpower is hampering services at the government-run centres.

Labourers and workers seldom come to Sram Kalyan Kendra (labour welfare centre) set up in 1980-1981 fiscal year in a two-storied building in Bangalipur area of Nilphamari’s Saidpur municipality, reports our correspondent.

The centre is meant for providing different training programmes, medical treatment, cultural and indoor games facilities, reading facilities in library, etc, for the working class people in the area.

In the municipality, there are around 25,000 workers engaged in Saidpur Railway Workshop, BSCIC Industrial Estate, small engineering workshops, transport sector and other trades.

Visiting the center yesterday noon, this correspondent found seven officials working there against 12 posts, but no labourer was present then.

The auditorium, reading room, indoor games and cultural room were covered with dust as those were unused for long.

It was also found that recreational items including the 24-inch TV, musical instruments like harmonium and flutes are out of order and indoor game tools are broken.

Abdul Khalek, labour welfare organizer of the centre, said “We provide treatment to 15 to 20 workers and their family members in our medical centre daily as a retired government medical officer was appointed here on contact basis two years ago. There was no physician in the centre for eight years from 2008.”

They have chalked out different programmes, including discussion and rally, marking the May Day today, said Abdul Khalek.

Mahbub Rashid, secretary of Rickshaw Mojdur Union of Saidpur unit, said only a few of his colleagues know about existence of such centre as the officials concerned did not take any remarkable initiative to let them know about it.

In Lalmonirhat, labourers are not getting any benefit due to lack of welfare activities at the labour welfare centre in the town, reports our correspondent.

Dispensary Assistant (DA) Moksedul Haque of the centre said the centre was established on one acre of land in College Road area in 1984 for the welfare of labourers, especially free medical treatment and medicine.

Five of 12 staffers were posted to the centre in April 2018, but there is no work for them. They come to the office only to sign the attendance register.

“We have been passing our days idle as there is no medical officer,” said the DA.

Mohammad Sadequzzaman, deputy director of Rangpur Regional Labour Welfare Centre, said the ministry concerned will recruit medical officer for the centre soon.