Darkness under the lamp
The current state of the Labor Welfare Centre located in Tongi of Gazipur, one of the country’s major industrial areas, is reminiscent of the Bengali proverb ‘darkness under the lamp’.
This centre, under the Department of Labour, aims to provide workers with healthcare, family planning, maternal health, child health, and various awareness training programmes. It is very sad that the institution itself is now in a state of ailing health due to neglect, insecurity, and long-standing mismanagement.
According to a national newspaper report published on Tuesday, a large part of the centre, built on about three bighas of valuable government land at the mouth of Kamarpara Road along the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, is abandoned and dilapidated. Although the centre is supposed to be bustling for the welfare of workers, a part of it has become a den for drug addicts and gamblers, which is very worrying.
Surprisingly, the centre, which is allocated for millions of workers in a huge industrial area like Tongi, is currently running with only 11 people. In addition, due to infrastructural limitations and lack of renovation, the main building has lost its usability. As a result, the company is now operating in a rented house in the Olympia Road area.
Local businessmen and land experts said that the current market value of the land is more than Tk 300 crore. Leaving such a huge state asset in an unprotected and unrepaired state for four decades clearly demonstrates the administrative apathy and lack of accountability. Due to the lack of security guards and the unprotected boundary wall, there is a fear that this huge government property may be encroached upon by unscrupulous groups at any time.
In a country where workers are active through their sweat and labour, it is absolutely wrong to allow state resources allocated for their welfare to be wasted in this way. At the same time, it is against the national interest.
Therefore, it may be timely to renovate unused buildings and establish them as institutions capable of ensuring all kinds of services. This will ensure proper utilization of government resources, while at the same time, workers in the industrial area will also directly benefit. The authorities concerned will quickly take effective and visible steps in this regard.
We believe that this poor condition of the institution is unacceptable. A complete survey of this valuable government property should be conducted immediately, its boundary wall should be renovated, CCTV cameras should be installed, and adequate security personnel should be hired. However, the need of the hour is to remove bureaucratic complications and take swift and effective steps.
