Qatar says worker deaths for World Cup 'between 400 and 500'
Doha (AP): A top Qatari official involved in the country's World Cup organisation has put the number of worker deaths for the tournament "between 400 and 500" for the first time, a drastically higher number than any other previously offered by Doha.
The comment by Hassan al-Thawadi, the secretary-general of Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, appeared to come off the cuff during an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan.
It also threatened to reinvigorate criticism by human rights groups over what the toll of hosting the Middle East's first World Cup for the migrant labour that built over
200 billion worth of stadiums, metro lines and new infrastructure needed for the tournament.
The Supreme Committee and Qatar's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
In the interview, portions of which Morgan posted online, the British journalist asks al-Thawadi: "What is the honest, realistic total do you think of migrant workers who died from as a result of work they're doing for the World Cup in totality?"
"The estimate is around 400, between 400 and 500," al-Thawadi responds. "I don't have the exact number. That's something that's been discussed."
But that figure hasn't been discussed publicly previously. Reports from the Supreme Committee dating from 2014 through the end of 2021 only include the number of deaths of workers involved in building and refurbishing the stadiums now hosting the World Cup.
Those released figures put the total number of deaths at 40. They include 37 from what the Qataris describe as nonwork incidents such as heart attacks and three from workplace incidents. One report also separately lists a worker death from the coronavirus amid the pandemic.
Since FIFA awarded the tournament to Qatar in 2010, the country has taken some steps to overhaul the country's employment practices. That includes eliminating its so-called kafala employment system, which tied workers to their employers, who had say over whether they could leave their jobs or even the country.
Qatar also has adopted a minimum monthly wage of 1,000 Qatari riyals (
275) for workers and required food and housing allowances for employees not receiving those benefits directly from their employers. It also has updated its worker safety rules to prevent deaths.
"One death is a death too many. Plain and simple," al-Thawadi adds in the interview.
Activists have called on Doha to do more, particularly when it comes to ensuring workers receive their salaries on time and are protected from abusive employers.
Al-Thawadi's comment also renews questions on the veracity of both government and private business reporting on worker injuries and deaths across the Gulf Arab states, whose skyscrapers have been built by labourers from South Asia nations like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Mustafa Qadri, the executive director of Equidem Research, a labour consultancy that has published reports on the toll of the construction on migrant labourers, said he was surprised by al-Thawadi's remark.
"For him now to come and say there is hundreds, it's shocking," he told The Associated Press. "They have no idea what's going on." (AP)
SCYNew Delhi (PTI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday took a dig at the BJP, saying if the saffron party had "worked" during its rule in the city's civic body, then it wouldn't have required so many CMs and union ministers to campaign for them for the MCD election.
He said this while interacting with local residents during a door-to-door campaign in the Chirag Delhi area to seek support for the AAP ahead of the December 4 polls.
Civic polls are due on December 4 and both the AAP and BJP have exuded confidence that they will emerge victorious.
"There's garbage everywhere in the city. I'll clean the city if voted to power. The BJP abuses me day and night. We have made arrangements for water, we will take responsibility for garbage disposal too. Give one chance to AAP, and we will clean the city like never before," Kejriwal claimed.
"We will make Delhi shine," the AAP supremo told residents.
Several media persons also accompanied the chief minister during his campaign.
Exuding confidence in winning the December 4 MCD polls, Kejriwal said that the AAP will win more than 230 seats and that the BJP will get less than 20 seats.
"I can see the excitement in the citizens and I'm certain that AAP will get more than 230 seats. The BJP will not get more than 20 seats in the MCD. We talk about the work that we have done in the Delhi government but the BJP doesn't have the audacity to tell what work they have done in the MCD," he said.
Reacting to the 'sting' videos and CCTV footage of AAP Minister Satyendar Jain released by the BJP, Kejriwal said, "BJP has started a video company now. Once a week they come up with these videos. Their morning show begins at 9 am and by 12 noon it turns into a flop show."
On the BJP fielding chief ministers and Union ministers to campaign for the party ahead of the civic polls, Kejriwal said, "I've seen BJP fielding chief ministers and several other Union ministers for one municipal election. If they (BJP) would've worked in the MCD, they wouldn't have required so many ministers to campaign for them".
Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Piyush Goyal, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar have campaigned for BJP candidates in the last few days.
"And what do these ministers do? They only abuse me in their campaigns," Kejriwal alleged.
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Ruckus outside counting centre in Mamata's constituency, TMC claims entry of car with BJP flag
Kolkata (PTI): The counting centre at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Bhabanipur assembly constituency witnessed a ruckus a day ahead of the counting of votes, with TMC workers alleging two cars bearing the BJP's flag were allowed entry to the compound where EVMs are kept.
The incident comes close on the heels of a four-hour-long sit-in by Banerjee in front of the same counting centre at the Sakhawat Memorial Girls School on Thursday night, alleging unauthorised entry of persons into the strongroom.
With the polling now over, the wrangling for power in West Bengal has turned into a battle of nerves between the incumbent TMC and the BJP. Workers and leaders of both parties have been keeping a steely gaze on the security of strongrooms across the state where the electoral fate of the candidates is sealed.
Despite expressing her confidence in a "landslide victory", Banerjee has repeatedly aired her apprehensions of "counting malpractice and EVM tampering ahead of the day of results".
On Sunday morning, TMC workers camping 100 metres from the counting centre alleged that two cars with BJP flags entered the premises and went near the strongroom.
"The CAPF personnel at the spot are not allowing any vehicle or person to enter the premises of the counting centre without valid identity proof. Then how come this car, which we have not seen in the past few days, was allowed entry? Once we protested, the central forces asked us to move 100 metres away," a TMC activist said.
The TMC claimed that while the police personnel posted there promised the vehicle would be removed from the spot, it remained there for some time.
A senior Election Commission official said the car was passing by the Harish Mukherjee Road, and after checking by security forces and police, it was allowed to leave as nothing objectionable was found in it.
On Thursday night, two counting centres, including one at Sakhawat Memorial Girls School in the city, witnessed high drama after TMC leaders alleged a lack of transparency and possible malpractice at the strongrooms housing sealed EVMs of the assembly polls, which concluded on April 29.
TMC leaders and candidates, Sashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh, held a sit-in outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting centre on Thursday evening, alleging unauthorised activities inside the strongroom amid the absence of TMC agents
In Howrah, TMC protested renovation work by the public works department at a place adjacent to the strongroom, and the EC stopped the work temporarily.
On Saturday, the ruling party filed a complaint with the poll panel, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at the EVM strongroom in Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.
Similar scenes were witnessed on Saturday outside the strongrooms at Asansol College in Paschim Bardhaman and the Barasat Government College in North 24 Parganas districts, where TMC workers held protests, alleging that CCTV cameras were switched off for several minutes.
The EC turned down all allegations, saying the surveillance cameras were working in an uninterrupted manner.
BJP spokesperson Sajal Ghosh told reporters that the people of Bengal were finding it "hilarious" that the TMC, "which used to win elections through unfair means and strongarm tactics" were now coming up with all sorts of "frivolous charges".
"Are they scared of losing?" he posed.
