In a tragedy unfolding across the country, migrant workers continue to face the brunt of the extended Covid-19 lockdown. Apart from Mumbai and Surat, hundreds of intra-state migrants workers in Andhra Pradesh, including women and children carrying luggage, hit the streets to undertake a 900-km long journey back home to their native destinations in northern Andhra Pradesh, reported the Deccan Chronicle.
Many labourers rue that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government hasn’t provided them with either money or food as promised. These labourers had already crossed four check posts including those at Sangeet Junction, Tarnaka junction and Hubsiguda junction, starting their journey from Marredpally, showing the failure of the state police to control their movement.
Though the police intercepted them and tried to stop them from walking further and offered them food, they were in no mood to relent. They wanted the officials to arrange transport for them to get back to their native villages.
They only retreated after animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav and Uppal MLA B Subhash Reddy reached the spot and assured them that the government would take care of them. The labourers were then taken back to their rented premises in the city with the promise of help till May 3, reported The Times of India.
Extensions prompts journey back home
Over 60 migrant labourers in Valmiki Nagar, BJR Colony, Sanjay Gandhi Nagar, Gautham Nagar, Hanumanpet among other areas, were waiting with packed bags, watching PM Modi’s address hoping that the lockdown would be lifted on April 15. Instead, the extension was a shock to them and desperately wanting to reach home, they began their journey home in the areas of Palasa, Tekkali, Nandigam and other villages in the Srikakulam district where no positive coronavirus case has been reported so far.
Speaking to DC, Kanta Rao said, “Our hopes were dashed after Modi’s address. We hoped that train and buses services would resume. But to our shock, the lockdown has been extended till May 3. We are already jobless since 21 days. We cannot survive for another three weeks. Our parents and families have been awaiting for us to return.”
He saidd that despite the claims by CM K Chandrashekhar Rao and his government, none of them had received rations or relief amount for the past 21 days. The government had collected their Aadhaar details, current address and bank account details, he added. He stated, “We have been waiting for money since 10 days. No one from the government visited our place after that. We faced discrimination by a few officials and individuals, who said that leftover ration and money will be distributed to us since we hail from Andhra.”
The migrants have since then been surviving on food and money received by donors, but as skilled labourers, they see these dole outs as a hit to their self-respect. A labourer, Brahmaji said, “We are not beggars. We came to Hyderabad to work and earn money with self-respect. We feel ashamed in taking donations. I personally feel like committing suicide when donors came to distribute cooked rice and clicked a picture with my family.”
Some others who were surviving on the food received said they needed money to pay rent and for other miscellaneous expenses as labd lords were asking them to leave and since they had no money coming in due to no job, they were desperately in need of it.
K Suryanarayana said, “Almost all of us have been thrown out of our homes by landlords for not paying rents. No one came to our rescue. The builder said that he cannot pay since he has already suffering loses. We will stay if government gives Rs 1,000 per head, as it would useful to rent a house and survive the lockdown period.” Suryanarayana also mentioned that that 1,500 people had already left for Srikakulam during the lockdown and another 1,000, some even to their homes in Uttar Pradesh, will leave in the future, notwithstanding police efforts to stop them.
Malkajgiri ACP Narasimha Reddy confirmed the incident saying that the workers weren’t happy with the extension of the lockdown as they had spent all their resources in the first phase that lasted 21 days.
He said, “It will take one or two days for everything to settle down. They will be given counselling and explained it’s not safe to venture out during the Covid-19 forced lockdown.”
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