Lockdown: In the mass exodus, many are stranded hungry and in desperate need of help
The labourers, most hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, are in great distress, as they are stuck in the absence of any transport
A large number of migrant workers flocked at Delhi's Anand Vihar bus terminal in the hope to catch any bus to return to their villages. Photo: Twitter
The country is witnessing a massive human migration in its recent history as labourers set out on a journey of hundreds of kilometres — many of them on foot, to go back to their villages amid the 21-day lockdown ordered to fight COVID-19.
The labourers, most hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, are in great distress, as they are stuck in the absence of any transport. Many are in despair and hungry, and are begging people for help.
The Centre has appealed to all state governments to take necessary steps to alleviate their suffering. Many state governments have now ordered that food and shelter be arranged for them.
But the labourers want some answers.
“What was our (workers’) fault? We were hardly given any time to return to our villages by bus or train. They should have thought about us. I’ve somehow managed to reach Lucknow after walking for three days on my way to Ambedkarnagar. I don’t know when I will reach; I am in a very bad state already,” said Suraj Kumar, who used to work at a tiles factory in Delhi and has now reached Charbagh bus station in Lucknow. He is hoping buses will be arranged for people like him.
Like Suraj, thousands of labourers have walked from the border at Delhi-NCR to their homes in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar since the night of March 24 when the lockdown started. In Delhi, many homeless labourers were left stranded at bus stations. Not only did they not get a bus for three days, they also had to face the police’s ire for violating the lockdown order.
Facing starvation, the labourers had no option but to walk home. Their exodus from Delhi continues despite the fear of coronavirus. On March 28, thousands reached the Anand Vihar bus terminal and Dhaulakuan following rumours that the government was providing bus facilities for those wanting to return home, making a mockery of the government-ordered lockdown.
There was also an agitation when a labourer died while on his way from Delhi to his village in Madhya Pradesh. Ranvir, 38, was a resident of Ambah village in Morena district and was an employee of a restaurant in Delhi.
The situation at the Sindhi Camp bus station in Jaipur, Rajasthan, was similar to the scene at Anand Vihar in Delhi, with thousands of labourers seen in the streets. Amar Singh Yadav said he has started walking from Jodhpur in Rajasthan to Banda in Uttar Pradesh, about 900 km away.
Kamlesh Sharma, a programme manager with Aajivika Bureau, an institution that works for migrant labourers in Rajasthan, said: “The exodus is continuing. In addition, over 20,000 labourers are coming to Rajasthan every day, mostly from Madhya Pradesh. We are also receiving hundreds of phone calls seeking help and we are working with the government to provide relief to the labourers.”
Thousands of labourers from Jharkhand are trapped in other states and are constantly seeking the government’s help.
In Gujarat, a large number of labourers are migrating via the highway in Sabarkantha district. Most labourers are from Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
People were seen walking on the highways in Ahmedabad to reach their villages in Rajasthan about 300 km away. A photo on social media showed a labourer, on his way to Rajasthan, carrying his wife on his shoulders because she had a fractured leg.
A video on social media showed police beating people who had arrived in Gujarat in a truck. After stopping the truck, the policemen used lathis on the labourers.
In their desperation, many are risking their lives. The police recently found about 300 people packed in two container trucks that were going from Hyderabad to Rajasthan. Labourers in Dehradun got onto a milk container truck to reach Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh.
Many migrant labourers in Kerala took to the streets as they agitated for transport facilities.
Nikhil Dey, founding member of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan and associated with MGNREGA Sangarsh Morcha, told Gaon Connection: “I have never witnessed such a massive exodus of labourers in my life. The government should have considered such possibilities beforehand. There should have been adequate arrangements for their food. This will be a major setback to the government’s lockdown.”