The ordeal of homecoming: Plight of migrant workers journey

Abhishek Ranjan.

On 25th march 2020 a nationwide lockdown for 21 days was announced in India by the Prime minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi. This was announced to fight the pandemic COVID-19. At that time India had 500 cases of COVID-19 and now when 4th lockdown is going on India have more than 1.5 lakh cases. Can you consider the lockdown successful? Currently India is among the top 10 countries which are worst hit by the pandemic.
Due to lockdown public transport was suspended, domestic flights and international flights were suspended, trains were suspended, all the factories, construction sites, shops, malls were closed, only essential services were opened like medical stores, grocery store, hospitals and water and electricity office. The lockdown was announced suddenly by the government without giving any early warnings. Many people were stranded or stuck. People who were on vacation, out-station students, employees not living with their family but the ones who were left at the worst was migrant workers. Most of these migrant workers earn on daily basis or work on contract basis, they don’t have any prior savings per say. Hence the income of these workers is not stable and with this ongoing lockdown they have no money to buy essentials, no food to eat and no shelter to stay which makes them purely dependent on the government for help.
The lockdown in India has impacted the livelihoods of a large proportion of the country; nearly 40 million internal migrants. Around 50,000–60,000 moved from urban centres to rural areas of origin in the span of a few days. This move of announcing the lockdown without even thinking of migrants was harsh on them and caused many problems. This was not only limited to just food and income problems, many migrant workers lost their lives too not because of COVID-19 but because of negligence shown by government on their part.
The government asked the migrant workers to not return to their hometown and stay where they are, they promised them food and shelter. According to some estimates there are around 30 lakh migrant workers who hail from Bihar and are staying in others states of the country. Many false hopes were given to them. Workers complained that they are not been provided any meal or they have to be in line for 6 hours for one meal or they are staying on roads. Many of them decided to walk miles to reach their family. Some said they’ll walk because they don’t have any other option, many helpless workers walked home and reached in 6 days or 13 days or may be more. But that was not the end of their sorrows, on borders of their state chemical was sprayed on them, they were suspected to have coronavirus so they were not allowed to enter in their own village. No quarantine centers were built so they lived on road and fields for 14 days.
After 2nd lockdown announcement they demanded government to help them reach their home, they protested for their rights which was not well received as many were beaten by police. The workers, number around 1,000 and most of them hailing from West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, held the protest at the bus depot near the Bandra railway station, hours after Prime Minister announced an extension of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown till May 3. Till today, many workers are stranded in Mumbai. 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. Many state governments started buses and trains to help migrant workers reach home but the supply was low and the demand was far than more. Many complained that bus conductors are asking for money although government said it was free.
Many said they were not able to get on the bus the crowd pushed them out.

Remembering Bhagwati Charan Vohra
Many governments refused to take the migrant that went to another state fearing COVID-19. Those who reached home and were kept at quarantine centres provided by state were not given proper meals, place lacked sanitation facilities, accommodation place was not so large so social distancing was violated. As the lockdown gifted the privileged family time, a break from work, time to learn new skills, it proved to be a nightmare for the poor.
Many migrant workers lost their life during the journey to reach home. Drained by their prolonged journey, 16 migrant labourers returning to Madhya Pradesh from Maharashtra; their place of work, fell asleep on the railway tracks and were summoned to death on May 8 by a goods train. Other incident report stated, five workers died when the truck carrying many labourers from Telangana to their hometown Uttar Pradesh, overturned on May 9. Such countless incidents are happening on daily basis and their suffering is prolonging.
In this scorching heat sufferance of poor has increased to another level. Many of the labourers in group said they had waited for weeks in anticipation that the U.P. government would start plying buses to transport them home, just like it was bringing back its migrants stranded outside. All the states government are allocating funds and doing planning work but the execution part is still questionable.
Contrast these tragedies with the recent dilution of labour laws in three states to push forth economic recovery. The cumulative picture is of a blatant disjunction between the reality of the worker-migrant and the policy adopted to tackle the crisis of ‘the labour question’. The worst hit is targeted again in the name of economy, people who can’t afford paying taxes can save economy. This glorifies that how government are least interested in the rights of poor people.

CHINA’S RESPONCE ON COVID-19
The Chief Minister said he expected farmers to profit from the amendments made to the Mandi Act in his State, where the farmers and private organisations have been allowed to directly deal with each other and arrive at an agreed price for their produce. He also expected the changes made to labour laws would help kick-start the economy. Madhya Pradesh CM said he would announce a package of cash in hand for those engaged in professions such as washer men and barbers, who cannot hope to return to work very soon. According to CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Madhya Pradesh has seen an enrolment of up to 19 lakh people under the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act.
As of May 7th, Shramik Special trains started operating across the country to help migrant workers but technical glitches and lack of transparency is making homecoming difficult. Online registration process is very difficult for workers as many of them are illiterate and don’t know how to check on details of trains and complete the online process. The majority of migrant workers in Karnataka are from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand and they have reported paying approximately Rs 1,000 per ticket for the Shramik Special trains. They are being charged and as workers are unable to pay, they are suffering.
In Bihar, 1 in every 4 migrant worker is tested positive so their health sector is facing a big challenge but still skill surveys are been conducted of workers who are returning. All departments of state government including the industry, water resources, urban development, road construction, agriculture and minor irrigation have also started creating employment opportunities in its respective fields to engage a sea of migrant workers returning homes amid the outbreak of COVID-19. Each state should conduct such skill surveys.
On 26th May 2020, Supreme court order came, the Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan said in a written order, “Adequate transport arrangement, food and shelters are immediately to be provided by the Centre and the State governments free of cost. Although the Government of India and the State governments have taken measures yet there have been inadequacies and certain lapses”. Centre and state governments need to work together to fight against this pandemic.
Implementation of the schemes should be done on urgent basis and employment opportunities should be created for workers wherever they are stranded. States governments should understand the plight of the migrant workers and work with one other rather than having a war using words and blaming each other. This battle could be won only by cooperating and helping each other. As citizens we should have faith in the government and join hands in helping poor.