The Amrapali group has once again hit the headlines for the wrong reasons. After residents convincing Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to break ties with the group as its brand ambassador, it is now the turn of labourers working on the Amrapali Princely Estate in Sector 76 to protest against the realty group.
Contractual labourers sat in front of Amrapali's sales and marketing office in protest on Monday, alleging that the builder had not cleared their payments for the past six months.
Speaking to City Spidey, Vinod Pandey, the labour contractor, said that his team of workers was steadily dwindling as they were not getting paid. "The workers are returning to their villages, he said. "People come to the city to earn and take care of their families. Why will they come here if they don't get paid? I still have to receive payment of more than a crore."
Workers also said that the construction company did not provide them with proper sanitation and healthcare facilities. "The labourers are forced to work in unhygienic conditions. When we demand payment, the officials threaten to stop payments completely," said Bharti Billa, another labour contractor.
Several attempts by City Spidey to contact Rajeev Ranjan, DGM of Amrapali Princely Estate, fell flat, as his mobile phone was constantly switched off. Sources in Amrapali group, on the condition of anonymity, said that the construction company was facing a severe financial crisis and had not paid salaries even to its own employees for over three months now. They also said that their attempts to contact the DGM for payment had failed and that top officials had stopped coming to office altogether.
The labourers told City Spidey that the protest would go on till the company cleared their dues. "We will also protest in front of the Amrapali group head office in Sector 62, if it comes to that," said Pandey.
