The Punatsangchhu Hydroelectric Project Authority is calling for the Bhutanese youth to come forward to work at the project sites. Currently, PHPA-II is facing a shortage of manpower in the project sites and required more than 2,000 Bhutanese workers, both skilled and unskilled. According to the chairman, the project has several works that the Bhutanese youths can take up easily at the sites.
The Chairman of the PHPA, Minister for Economic Affairs Ministry Loknath Sharma recently said losing of around 1,600 workers in the project is a huge number and it would cost a huge amount to the government if the work progress is delayed due to manpower shortage for even a single day.
As per the Chairman, it is difficult to get back all the workers and experts from India immediately due to COVID-19 situation in India and Bhutan. Likewise, the chairman also says the quarantine and travel restriction are some of the serious challenges to import the foreign workers at present. Moreover, Lyonpo said there are high chances of importing the virus while bringing a huge number of workers from bordering places where there is a spike of COVID-19 cases presently.
The Chairman, therefore, said filling up the labour shortage gap has become crucial and this is a time where Bhutanese have to come together to serve the nation practically.
“Now we will go out more to the Bhutanese youths to come forward and work because this is the time we need them. For another three to six months, we will have a very difficult time to bring in expertise workers. So, now is the time to fill up the gap and it is not that we cannot do. Our youth can do. Yes, the works are laborious but our youths are tough and they can really do it,” said Loknath Sharma, the Chairman of PHPA.
Likewise, the chairman said works are all doable by the youths such as bar bending, bar binding, carpentry and masonry works at the projects sites. Moreover, he added that youth could learn these works easily as it goes on working since these are hands-on training jobs. Workers will be given some crash courses about three to four weeks by contractors before letting them do the full-fledged works at the sites.
“Just now we are looking at another three to six months to fill up this gap, but by that time they will be skilled or semi-skilled that they can continue working and there are new projects coming up like Kholongchhu. By that time Punatsangchhu-I will also have some works because we will finalise everything in Punatsangchhu-I. So, there will be lots of works and there will be hydropower projects coming up in future too. Therefore, their works will be almost permanent and they will be skilled, and with that skill, they can train more Bhutanese. So, in future, our plan is that we will have lots of local workers in hydropower sectors,” Lyonpo said.
According to the Chairman, it’s also an opportunity where Bhutanese youths can become skilled and sustain their livelihood by working in the field of hydropower constructions in future. Moreover, the authority would arrange separate foods and incentives for the Bhutanese workers, as the construction works have to go on continuously with rotational basis where Bhutanese workers might feel a bit harsh.
“We are providing a few incentives so that they can come immediately and work. We are adding what contractor has to give because the contractor has their own policy, their own service rules, and all those workers have been working to that and we cannot ask the contractor to revise. Therefore, whatever incentives in bringing our youth, the project management have to add. Mess and all, because mostly due to the cultural differences, due to some eating habits, it may not be same. Therefore, we want to have a different mess system for them,” Lyonpo added.
However, the Chairman said the project works are bit different from other construction works where they cannot recruit workers through BuilD Bhutan Project. Meanwhile, the Punatsangchhu-II have installed hotline telephone to encourage the interested workers and also announced the job vacancy on their Facebook page. PHPA-II so far has achieved its overall works of 88 % and is supposed to complete by June 2022. The project will be producing 1020 MW of electricity.
Changa Dorji
