Real estate companies and leather goods manufacturing units are rushing to get their workers vaccinated to restore normality in their sectors.

Construction work at most sites had come to a standstill with stricter Covid curbs coming into force across the state on May 16. Work has resumed since June 1 but at a slow pace because of a lack of enough personnel and other reasons.

The demand for processed leather and finished goods from Europe and the US is increasing but production in the tanneries and leather goods units has been tardy because of shortage of personnel.

Business owners said the failure to get workers vaccinated against Covid in large numbers was the principal reason for production not picking up. Another reason is that many workers are still stuck in their hometowns and villages as the curbs are yet to be lifted.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced that work in construction and leather manufacturing sectors could start from June 1 with workers vaccinated against Covid.

Workers queue up for their Covid shots. Telegraph picture

A state government official said the move by realtors and leather goods manufacturing units to get their workers vaccinated would go a long way in restoring normality in the sectors.

“This will ensure that Covid protocols are maintained and also help vaccinate a large number of people, for many of whom getting a dose on their own is difficult,” the official said.

The owners of companies said many of their workers had tried to get vaccinated in their villages and hometowns but were unable to do so because of shortage of doses.

At Calcutta Leather Complex in Bantala, the association of manufacturing units and the tanneries is holding a vaccination drive for the workers.

“There are around 3 lakh workers at the Bantala complex, of whom about 10,000 have been vaccinated. A lot of orders are pending from companies in Europe, South Africa and the US. If we cannot meet the demands, it can affect our future business,” said Imran Ahmed Khan, the general secretary of the Calcutta Leather Complex Tanners’ Association.

He said many companies were also asking their workers to get vaccinated at private hospitals saying the management would reimburse the cost. Some export units are tying up with private hospitals to get their workers vaccinated in bulk.

Many real estate companies as well as associations are organising vaccination camps, too.

“We will start a vaccination drive for construction workers on Wednesday. Our initial target is to vaccinate 5,000 workers and finally cover 10,000,” said Nandu Belani, the president of CREDAI Bengal, a realtors’ body.

The first two programmes, in collaboration with the state micro small and medium enterprises department, will be held at Acropolis Mall and South City Mall, he said.

Belani said work was going on at 300-odd construction sites in Calcutta and North 24-Parganas.

“Work was proceeding slowly during the lockdown (May 16 to 31). Now, the government has allowed movement of materials but progress is still slow because workers are yet to be inoculated. So, we have taken the initiative to vaccinate as many workers as possible,” said Belani.

Bengal Peerless Housing Development Company got 236 of their construction workers vaccinated at a camp at Kishore Bharati Stadium on Monday.

“About 90 per cent of the construction workers are in the 18-44 age group. So, initially most of them could not get vaccinated,” said an official.

The Merlin group has around 12 projects going on in Calcutta with about 3,000 workers.

“There are barely 25 per cent workers at these projects at the moment. We are trying to vaccinate as many workers as possible but procuring doses was a problem initially. We have sites for vaccinating a large number of workers and they can be provided transport to come to Calcutta, but vaccine doses and those who would administer them were not available,” said Sushil Mohta, the chairman of Merlin Group and president, CREDAI, West Bengal, the state chapter of the real estate body.

“Earnings have stopped for many workers who used to get paid on a daily basis. For them it is even more important to get vaccinated and join the project,” he said.

Ketan Sengupta, the CEO of Bengal Peerless, said the company had an ongoing project at Mukundapur. During the peak of construction, the project had around 800 workers. Only around 30 per cent of them are at the site now.

“We are hoping to get the entire workforce vaccinated by July,” said Sengupta.