RAMESH KARKI

More than a decade has passed since Chetra Bahadur Bhujel, 70, started working as a laborer in road projects but he hardly remembers a single moment in his life to cherish. 

Bhujel feels he would have found solace for all his struggles had the government cared to provide some financial and medical assistance. But he remains as helpless as he was when he was in the prime of his youth. 
 

Besides minimum wages, he neither got anything from his employers nor the government. “I haven’t been able to save as I lived on paltry wages. I wonder how I will be able to support myself when I am no longer able to work. It hurts me that I have been unable to leave behind anything for my grandson,” said Bhujel. 

The plight of seventy-two-year old Krishna Bahadur Bhandari is no different. He had started working in road projects as a laborer since 1986. “I had heard that the government provides retirement allowance once an employee reaches the age of 58. But I have not received a penny,” said Bhandari. 

“It torments me every time I think about what I gained working as a laborer for years,” added Bhandari. 

Bir Bahadur Rai, 70, of Bhimesthan shares a similar story. “If I fall seriously ill, I don’t have money for treatment, neither do I have savings for my days ahead,” said Rai.

Recalling his hardships, Rai said youths should not work as laborers. “We work for low pay braving all kinds of weather and without day offs,” said Rai. 

However, these elderly workers are compelled to work as laborers in road projects as they do not have any other source of income and neither do they have expertise to land job in other sectors. “Had I known that life would be so miserable, we would not have worked as construction laborers and no one would hire us at this age,” said Rai. 

According to secretary of Nepal Road Labor Trade Union Nirajan Pandey, as many as thousand elderly still work as laborers in road projects across the country. 

Meanwhile, explaining legal procedures, site in-charge of Naubise-Nagdhunga road section, engineer Gagal Bhandari said the government has no such provision for these elderly workers. “Personally, I don’t want these elders working at roads. Had there been any such provision to provide assistance to the elderly, I would have done so. But I can’t do anything on my own,” said Gagal.

Published on: 23 February 2014 | Republica