Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Kochi Metro on June 17 following which the city’s most awaited transport project will be thrown open for public use.Recognising the role of nearly 800 migrant workers in completion of Kochi’s most awaited project, the Metro rail authorities decided to honour them in a unique yet beautiful way. They organised a Sadya (‘banquet’ in Malayam is a special feast served on banana leaves) for the workers who toiled on the metro project for nearly four years.
These workers usually come from states like Bihar, Bengal or even Assam usually get a daily wage of anything between ₹400 and ₹500 per day. In general, they work for 12 hours a day amidst dust, slush and the incessant noise of vehicles and their contribution often goes unheard.
The banquet was also attended by top KMRL officials along with MD, Elias George IAS who sat along with the construction workers. There were even cultural events for the workers with Bollywood songs and dance numbers. The youth from among the group loved Bollywood music which was rendered by two singers arranged by an event-management firm. The migrant workers also wrote down their names on the message board. The construction of Kochi Metro began in 2013 after then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of the project.
The Kochi Metro is already winning laurels for hiring 23 transgenders as employees. The duties allotted to them will range from handling the ticket counter to housekeeping works. Besides, it will also boast of largest contingent of women staff members, including women train drivers.
The Kochi Metro Line 1 is 27 kilometres long. Out this the 13-km-long Aluva-Palarivattom section will be inaugurated on June 17.
Well deserved! #Kochi Metro today held a fun event with a feast, music and more to honor its construction workers – the real heroes
