"Chennai: DefExpo workers crammed in kennel-like shelters", 8 April 2018

Nothing can be more ironic at the DefExpo-2018 venue than the kennel-like shelters put up for workers. Amid all the pomp and gaiety associated with the expo, billed as the largest-ever exhibition featuring Indian arms companies, is a sorry tale of inhumane treatment meted out to the workers engaged by Pavilions and Interiors India Pvt Ltd... Each enclosure, measuring 3 ft x 4 ft, was shared by three or four workers, who were totally drenched in sweat. They were seen using their bags as pillows. There is a row of such temporary enclosures made of steel pipes on the sides, wooden floorboards and roof. The workers have to literally crawl into these enclosures and can barely sit upright... "We were told to use shelters for a couple of days initially and were promised better accommodation later. But nothing happened. We have been sleeping here for more than 15 days, enduring heat and mosquito menace. We are left with no choice,” said the workers, mostly from Mumbai and Delhi. There is no proper sanitation and food... Saying that he was not aware of the issue, a spokesperson of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which is coordinating the overall activities of the expo, said the accommodation of workers was the responsibility of individual contractor concerned.