By Tharuniyaa Lakhsmi & Lakshan Karthik | 13 January 2025

As dawn breaks, Suresh Yadav, 34, adjusts his hard hat and safety glasses for another night shift at the Perumbakkam metro construction site in Chennai. Five years ago, Yadav left Jharkhand after losing his job in the coal mines. Today, he shares a 100 sq. meter room with four metro construction workers in the city.

The Chennai metro contractors hire  workers for six months. Later, the workers can either renew the contract or shift jobs. They earn Rs15,000 to Rs17,000 per month, depending on their role.

Ramalingam Reddy, 28, left his drought-stricken village in Andhra Pradesh. “This job helps me survive, but it will not last forever,” said Reddy.

“The work is tiring,” said Mohammed Iqbal, 40, who migrated from West Bengal, six years ago for a better pay. “We work for 9 hours. It is physically demanding and there are no regular health check-ups,” said Iqbal, a welder with the Chennai metro.

To be sure, workers are covered under a five-year health insurance plan that addresses workplace injuries.

The Rs 63,000 crore metro project will transform how Chennai travels. What lies behind the city’s dream to transition to a modern transport system are the efforts of workers like Yadav, and Iqbal, among others. They toil to help the city advance, while dreaming of returning home to a better life.