Three Months on, No Pay: Green Warriors see red, go on strike in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Even as celebrities take up the green challenge, the 110 workers who tend to the HMDA's Tellapur-Nallagandla urban forest's nursery that is spread over 30 acres have not received salaries for the last three months.

Most workers live on site in huts and a few have taken homes for rent in Tellapur, Nallangandla and surrounding areas. Many are from neighbouring districts and towns. Balaiah, a worker from Pargi says, "I have my family staying with me. We have rented out a house in Indira Nagar for Rs 3,500 per month.

I exhausted my savings and have no money to pay the rent." T Mallesh another worker, says they kept on requesting the authorities and each time they said the money would be given in a day or two. "We could not take it anymore and went on strike on Sunday."

The workers did not allow DCM vehicles to enter the nursery on Sunday. On an average 15-20 vehicles transport saplings to various districts in the state. The Tellapur-Nallagandla nursery is one of the largest centralised nurseries supplying plants to general public and is the main feeder for the Haritha Haram programme.

Even during the lockdown, none of the relief programmes conducted by the government reached them until local civil society groups brought it to the notice of authorities. Some have been working for the last 15 years. Laxman, a worker says, "There is no PF, ESI and other benefits."

Coupled with the existing problems, manpower was reduced adding to workload. Balaiah says, "This year we had good rains and deweeding takes a toll on us. Higher ups say we are not doing our job. If that is so, how come lakhs of saplings are transported every month for plantation?"

CENTRALISED NURSERY

♦    The Tellapur-Nallagandla nursery is spread over 30 acres

♦    It is main feeder for the Haritha Haram programme.

♦    It has a capacity to house one crore saplings

♦    On an average 15-20 vehicles transport saplings to various districts

♦    At present there are 38 lakh saplings

♦    Nursery is a boon in many ways as there is no scope for encroachment

♦    There are 100 varieties of plants