The Road To Hell! Desperate Migrant Workers to Reach Home Trapped in lockdown still in Lurch
Mangaluru: Following the earlier reports on migrants by Team Mangalorean :(Ref: ‘Where Was CM When We Were Suffering All These Days & Now He Wants Us To Stay Back’- a Migrant ); Ref: Chaos and Hunger Faced by Migrants & labourers lodged at a Hostel in Padua during Lockdown in City ); (Ref: Agony, Hunger & Chaos Faced by Migrants Waiting near Town Hall for Buses to Reach their Hometowns ); (Ref: ‘We Can’t & Won’t Tweet for Noodles & Eggs, Instead Will Beg & Wait for Basic Food & Care’- Beggars & Migrants ) , and now, we have yet another report on the migrants trying to get back to their hometowns, but sadly all their efforts are in vain.
Believing in fake promises and messages that train service from Mangaluru have started today, 9 May, hundreds of migrants once again who came walking from Surathkal, Biakampady, Panambur, Kuloor, Kunjathbail, and other places in and around the City, were left in lurch as the government nor district administration nor labour department has not yet made the train arrangements. Hearing rumours of train services restarting, the workers had gathered defying rules of social distancing, putting themselves and others at risk. They demanded that authorities arrange transport to send them back to their hometowns and villages so they could be with their families. The police, instead, had blocked all the entrances to the Mangaluru Central Railway Station today, after over thousand migrant workers had stormed the area in front of the railway station yesterday. ( Ref: ‘We Were Abandoned, Humiliated Here-We Just Want to Go Home’- Migrants from Jharkhand near CRS )
But today, the army of migrants was much lesser than yesterday, and they were all stopped from entering the roads leading to the railway station. A platoon of police were seen near the entrance of the road from Town Hall (near Mini Vidhana Soudha) to railway station, and the police had a tough time to explain to these migrants about the present situation of train services. But sadly many of these migrants who had gathered there were construction and daily-wage labourers, who have lost their jobs in the Covid-19 lockdown and many were out of money and food- and one of them Manish, a building construction worker said, “Our employer had let us down with no food and money, and now he wants us back. We have no work and no money to pay our rent, so what’s the point in staying back here in such pathetic situation. We just want to go back”.
Speaking to Team Mangalorean, DCP (Crime and Traffic) Laxmi Ganesh said, “There has been miscommunication between these migrants. They hear fake news or get fake messages on their mobile phones, stating that train services have started and they all come here and gather, with no results. Even after instructing them several times, they have been ignoring us. Therefore, we have blocked all the road entrances leading to the central railway station, and we stop them on the road and after giving suitable explanations, we send them back from where they came. Sad but nothing much we can do, when train services have not been scheduled by our govt and govt of other states”.
But luckily for these migrants, where many of them had no food since two days, good Samaritan Ms Corrine Rasquinha, the Founder of White Doves NGO came to their rescue in providing them rice, egg curry and vegetable this evening, which satisfied their hunger. Speaking to Team Mangalorean Ms Corrine said, “Earlier many NGO’s were feeding the homeless and migrants stranded in the City, but many of them now have stopped their services. Knowing that situation, we have been providing lunch and dinner for nearly 400- 500 people daily, until the admin or MCC comes out with a solution to feed these hungry souls. White Doves have been doing this community service for decades, so why not now help these migrants who are in distress and agony. Hope they will find a way soon to be with their loved ones back home, which they have been desperately waiting for. I pity these folks for the misery they are facing, and we will help them with food until they are here in our town”.
The scenes of migrants storming the City has shone a spotlight the plight of these poor Indians who migrate from villages to cities in search of livelihood – and how the lockdown has left them stranded far away from home, with no jobs or money. Most of them had moved from villages to work here in Mangaluru as domestic helpers, drivers and gardeners, or as daily-wagers on construction sites, building malls, flyovers and homes, or as street vendors- but sadly, when lockdown clicked in, many of their employers left them in dark by not offering any help, either through cash or food. That was a total disgrace for this city, which is known for its friendly people. The mismanagement and treatment of these migrant crisis during the pandemic could be our City’s shame.
Whether living in shelters, sleeping on footpaths or under flyovers, the migrants are restless and are waiting for restrictions to be eased so they can go home. A day ago when Team Mangalorean met a group of migrants, both men and women, from Jharkhand, and the one question they all want answered is: “When can We go home?” Among them was Manoj Agarwal, who’s been at the shelter with strangers since 29 March. “The police told us they’ll help us reach home, but they brought us here instead. They tricked us,” he said, dejectedly. With their livelihood grinding to a halt and meagre savings running out fast, they all want to return to their village, but unfortunately the govt and authorities are playing games, since they want the migrants to stay back, so that their help could be used in the development and construction works.
Yes, it should be noted that PM Narendra Modi announced the lockdown with barely four hours’ notice. The decision unleashed chaos that India, and even here, is still struggling to deal with. Within hours of his announcement, millions of migrants began fleeing the cities, the key highways filled with men, women and children, carrying their belongings, trying to walk home, sometimes hundreds of miles away. Several people died in the process. The authorities say the lockdown is key to saving lives, but the lack of planning has hit the country’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens hard.
In the absence of work, many migrant workers are now dependent on food handouts from governments or charities for survival- some reduced to begging. And now that many NGO’s due to funds, have stopped serving free food, has made the situation much worse for these migrants, and NGO White Doves and couple more organizations are the only ones to overcome their hunger. But my point is that- if those who test negative for Covid-19 must not be forcibly kept in shelters or away from their homes and families against their wishes. The government should allow for their safe travel to their hometowns and villages and provide necessary transportation for the same. Why is the govt and other govt agencies treating these migrants like stray dogs and cats?
Even as the authorities say they are looking after thousands of migrants in shelters while food is being provided to them, but hundreds more are yet to receive any help. Looks like there are two types of stranded, the visible and the invisible. Those who are in shelters are visible. But there are a large number of people who are not in shelters. They live under the flyovers and sleep on footpaths, or stuck in workplaces, labour camps or slums, and such are totally neglected. Too sad. The desperation of the migrants is borne out by the fact that many continue to attempt fleeing the cities. These migrants are coming up with different ways to sneak out to their native places, but get caught while doing so by cops.
Ms Vidya Dinker, the coordinator of Citizens Forum for Mangaluru development, who is helping these migrants in many ways said that she gets hundreds of distress calls day and late night, from these stranded workers. “Most said they had ration for one or two days, many said they were eating one meal a day to conserve food. We found that 90% had not been paid their wages and most had just about 200-100 rupees left. Those who are playing with the emotions and vulnerabilities of these migrants who were already so distressed by the abrupt lockdown and the difficulties they are facing must be found out and brought to book! We from Citizens Forum for Mangalore Development will continue to pursue the matter of sending those migrants who wish to go home with the State, and will try to ensure it happens with dignity and respect for those who toil and build our cities”.
In conclusion, With neither food nor cash, migrant workers have been pushed to the brink of starvation, alarming levels of vulnerability and extreme indignity. The only solution to the problem is through cash transfers to the poor by the government. The government says employers should not stop wages of labourers. But how can small shops or businesses pay their workers when their own survival is at stake? And what about those who are self-employed, like street vendors?”
Lockdown, is not the solution, and imposing Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code, which prohibits gathering of more than four people, is a better idea. The long-term impact of the shutdown, will be lots of starvation deaths, destitution and penury. All the poor and lower middle classes will be in long-term misery. The economy is devastated. By shutting everything down, you may be able to save 100,000 lives, but if the lockdown continues, you’ll kill one million from hunger and starvation. Does the government knows that? Acha Din Kaab Ayega for these desperate migrants? Probably NEVER!