Lalitpur (Uttar Pradesh)

In the scorching heat, at 2 PM, Prem Nath, 48, was walking along the National Highway-44. He had reached Amjhara ghati (valley), in Lalitpur district, along the Uttar Pradesh-Madhya Pradesh border. Two bags were hanging on either side of his bicycle and he was drenched in sweat.

“In my entire life, I have never gone as hungry as in these two months. I have exhausted all my savings. It seemed better to reach home to my children than to perish in the city from hunger,” he said.

Premanth, a daily wage earner, took to pedalling his bicycle from Borivali, West in Mumbai to Bhadohi district in Uttar Pradesh – the distance is about 1,471 kms. He started with Rs 100 in his pocket as all his savings were spent during the two months of the lockdown, and he was not paid his dues by the contractor.

He said in his small, pained voice: “I would have starved had I stayed in Mumbai. I managed to pass two months by eating khichdi. The contractor did not give me Rs 10,000 of wages. He kept saying that the bank is closed due to the lockdown and he was arranging for cash. I waited for 40-50 days and spent my savings to stave off hunger. While setting out, there were only Rs 100 left with me.”

Many migrants living in metro cities and big cities have lost their jobs due to the ongoing lockdown. These daily wage labourers had migrated to the cities to stave off starvation. Ironically, they had to leave the cities for the exact same reason, that too on foot or on their bicycles. They eat something at night if they managed to get something. Each day they travel on an empty stomach for 12 to 15 hours walking with bicycles.

Despite all the assurances and arrangements of the state and the central government, the daily wage migrant labourers living in metros could not feel safe. Troubled by the uncertainty, they took to travelling back to their villages to avoid starvation and death.

Gaon Connection interacted with the migrant labourers returning from these metros on NH-44. They were returning to Lalitpur, Bundelkhand, Jhansi and Sagar at the Amjhara ghati on the Uttar Pradesh border.

“Fourteen people shared a single room and paid a rent of Rs 400 per person. The landlord was asking for rent and we did not even have money for our own expenses,” said Prem Nath, who promised to pay money later, and started walking to Bhadohi.

Premanth, who has worked as a daily wager in Mumbai for 17-18 years, said: “I had aspired to stave off hunger and become self-reliant by working in the city while today I return to my village hungry and penniless again.”

Due to the global pandemic, the migrant labourers living in metros faced acute food shortage due to the economic crisis and could not pay their room rents. The pockets of labourers remained empty while leaving the metros. Amid the deteriorating conditions in the cities, the labourers considered it appropriate to return home on an empty stomach instead of staying put.

“For two months, whatever I had was spent in buying food. The construction work is closed down, how to buy food items? For a few days I stood in queues for hours to get some food. I wouldn’t have survived any longer in Mumbai,” said Kanhaiya Lal, 48. Looking at the situation, he pocketed Rs 200 that was left with him and began cycling to Bhadaiya village in Mirzapur district. He had to cover a distance of 1,516 kms to reach his hometown.

Kanhaiya Lal had walked and pedaled a bicycle up to Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh. On the way, he either remained hungry or ate a few biscuits. He got a bus from Burhanpur and came to the Uttar Pradesh border of Lalitpur. Kanhaiya Lal has to travel 541 kms further to reach his district and now can’t even talk to his family members as his phone is switched off.

In the goshala on the border, the migrant labourers riding bicycle were prevented from going inside. Kanhaiya Lal said: “The employees there did not let the men with bicycles go inside the goshala and said that there was no provision for the transportation of bicycles. They told us to leave upon the bicycle. It was found that he was the tehsildar of the Pali Tehsil.”

Dozens of labourers like Kanhaiyalal had stood outside the gate of goshala with their bicycles. The local people understood the problem of migrant labourers and spoke to Gyaneshwar Prasad Shukla, the SDM Mehroni, who was doing duty at goshala. He told that it would not be possible to take the bicycles as the buses are without nets. The labourers will have to wait till the bus with a net is sent.

Kanhaiya Lal, standing near the bicycle, said: “I will wait for two days here in goshala. If the bus with net comes, it is okay, otherwise I will take bicycle and proceed to homes. Although my pockets are empty, if God be willing, I would reach my home somehow. Anyway, walking this far has killed my appetite.”

Lakhs of daily wage labourers working in metros of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Haryana, Punjab, etc, who are returning to their villages are seen crossing the Uttar Pradesh border at Lalitpur whether on foot or riding upon bicycles, taxis, buses and trucks every day. More than one lakh migrant labourers have crossed Lalitpur at the UP border.

Chandan Pandey, 27, who works in Purandar, Maharashtra, hails from Gopalganj in Bihar, 1,860 kms away. He has already travelled from Maharashtra to Lalitpur covering a distance of 1,021 kms. Chandan will be able to reach his home after a covering a distance of 860 kms. Half a dozen people are walking with him.

He said: “I had never witnessed such days of difficulty. It seemed that the situation would soon improve. Neither the situation improved nor did the lockdown open. Whatever ration I had was used up when the lockdown got extended. What would have I eaten? That is why I left the city and walked towards the village. After walking for about 200 kms, the government bus left me at the Uttar Pradesh border. Now I am worried as to how to reach home from.”

Kiran Devi, 42, belongs to Muhammadpur village of Ghazipur district and had been living with her husband and four children in Mumbai, 1,647 kms away making gajras. The lockdown did nothing for her difficulties, but all her money got spent. Where to pay Rs 6,000 of the room from? They came from Madhya Pradesh border to the Uttar Pradesh border by the bus.

Kiran Devi, who is waiting for her turn to go home with her family inside the goshala on the border of Lalitpur, said: “I didn’t have the money to pay the room rent. The children were starving and so we had left the room and come away. Let us reach home. We shall stay there and do anything to feed our children but would never look to the cities to die.”