A view of the living quarters of guest workers near a construction site in Kakkanad in this file photo. The district administration is now focusing on improving the working and living conditions of guest workers. | Photo Credit: H_Vibhu more-in In an effort to improve the living conditions of guest workers, the district administration has issued directions to as many as 117 organisations, which were rated “very low” during a recent inspection, to pull up their socks and make immediate amends. The organisations got less than six marks during the inspection, which was conducted to ascertain whether guest workers enjoyed safe working and decent living conditions. The rating was done on the basis of the quality of buildings where guest workers were accommodated, the number of workers in each of them, toilet and bathroom facilities, availability of drinking water, and cooking facilities. Based on the above parameters, four grades were worked out with a total of 24 marks each. While 374 organisations scored between seven and 12 marks, 547 got between 13 and 18 marks. They were given directions to improve the facilities and will be inspected in the coming days to verify the level of compliance. In the event of non-compliance, stern measures, including hefty fines, will be imposed on the organisations. As many as 92 organisations secured over 19 marks. Apart from encouraging them, the district administration will make interventions to raise others to their standards. The inspection covered 1,139 places spread over 82 grama panchayats, 13 municipalities, and the Kochi Corporation. Athithi Devo Bhava Instead of closing down workplaces after serving notices, the district administration is focusing on improving the working and living conditions of guest workers. To achieve this objective, the district administration has drawn up a campaign titled Athithi Devo Bhava in association with employers. A rough estimate puts the number of guest workers in the district at around five lakh. In fact, Ernakulam has the highest concentration of guest workers in the State. The district medical office, National Rural Health Mission, and the Labour Department had conducted medical screening camps last year to examine the vulnerability of guest workers to diseases. No serious threats were found in 114 camps held in three phases covering over 10,000 people. However, it was found that living conditions made guest workers vulnerable to epidemics. Over-crowding in rooms, cooking in the same room where they live, and unclean toilets increased their susceptibility to diseases. It was in the wake of the above findings that inspections were conducted. A questionnaire prepared by the community medicine wing of Amrita Medical College was used during inspections conducted by groups comprising officials of taluks, villages, local bodies, Health, Labour and police departments.

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