RailEnquiry

Cut off from near and dear ones and living in a place where migrant workers of Metro Rail hardly know the language, the only solace for them on Independence Day is that they have freedom from the 12-hour grueling work.Nearly a week after the accident at the Metro Rail site opposite the Pachaiyappa’s College on Poonamallee High Road, the fear of safety has been drowned with the machines humming up again at various Metro Rail sites.Fifty-five-year-old Radheshyam Yadav says safety  measures for workers are now much better than how it used to be three decades ago. “I used to work without helmets or shoes. Now, safety is given more importance,” he says, adding that after Independence, safety measures for workers had improved.Yadav, who had met with an accident in Mumbai while working on the seas, prefers working at the Metro Rail site here and says it has adequate safety measures.Interestingly, Independence Day holds special for Yadav, who plans a flag hoisting ceremony at his barracks. However, for his young  counterparts, it is just another holiday. “For us it means freedom from work,” says Basant of Chhattisgarh, who toils for 12 hours daily.  His colleague from Jharkhand, Raju, concurs. “I’ll be calling my parents before catching some sleep.”