Sarpanchs in Odisha want controlled return of migrants

There aren’t enough isolation beds available for the estimated return of 7.5 lakh migrant workers to the State

With Odisha bracing for the return of about 7.5 lakh migrant workers, sarpanchs, who will be at the vanguard of the government’s efforts in keeping the possible spread of the coronavirus pandemic in check, are dreading the possibility of all the migrants returning at the same time.

Sarpanchs are worried that the available isolation facilities and support staff will not be enough to handle one of the largest movements of labour in recent times. Registration for the return of migrants will commence from April 24.

Kansara panchayat in coastal Kendrapara district has created 70 isolation beds but over 300 migrant workers have informed their families of their imminent return. In Bhatigaon panchayat under Bargarh district, an isolation centre with 20 beds is ready, but 60 villagers stranded outside are desperate to return. Similarly, the Gorakhunta gram panchayat in Malkangiri district has 50 beds, whereas 160 villagers are expected back.

‘Too tough to handle’

In all likelihood, returnees will outnumber the COVID-19 isolation beds at the panchayat level. The State government also admits it. At present, 2 lakh beds in all 6,798 panchayats are ready. It is proposed to increase the number of beds to 5 lakh.

“As per our estimation, about 7.5 lakh Odia migrants are stranded in other States. They are desperate to return home. The government is very alert and also worried for their well-being,” said D. K. Singh, the State’s Panchayati Raj Department Secretary.

A day after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik talked to sarpanchs and they pledged to tackle the COVID-19 situation sincerely in their respective panchayats, the sarpanchs said the situation was too tough to handle.

‘Not a penny’

“The government had announced it would provide ₹5 lakh to each panchayat for tackling the COVID-19 situation. We have not received a penny. We are spending from the panchayat’s existing funds, which is to be cleared by the Panchayat Extension Officer, and it is not easy to cut through bureaucracy,” said Pradyumna Kumar Jena, Kansara sarpanch.

Ira Padiami, sarpanch of Gorakhunta, said the search for more isolation facilities has already begun, but there are issues in providing support staff for cleaning and maintaining them.

Although the government has appointed gram panchayat nodal officers with the responsibility for fixing the timing of the return of migrants by coordinating with sarpanchs, the latter said full-fledged control rooms are required to be set up for keeping a tab on the movement of people. They are also wary of emotional issues that may come up. According to them, 14 days is too long a period to keep families and quarantined members separated, and not allowing them to mingle.

Phase it out

Sarpanchs have demanded the government must devise some sort of mechanism so that migrants’ return could be phased and controlled from outside States. They do not want a scenario in which the panchayat-level isolation facilities remain packed.

According to the plan, the government will provide transport facilities to migrant workers from bus terminals to village-level isolation camps. Under no circumstances will home quarantine be allowed in villages. If a person tests positive, he or she will be shifted to the nearest hospital. The rest of the returning workers will be under the constant observation of doctors.

“The announcement of delegating Collectors’ powers to sarpanchs will surely boost morale on ground. But sarpanchs have not undergone capacity-building programmes at regular intervals. When sarpanchs do not have enough say in the implementation of MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) projects, expecting them to handle the COVID-19 situation is a too big an ask,” said Umi Daniel, an expert on migration issues.

Migration figures

As against the officially registered 1.3 lakh inter-State workers in Odisha, the annual migration figure from the State is placed at 1 million. Workers from Odisha are engaged in sectors as diverse as brick kilns, diamond cutting, plumbing and construction. Thousands of women also migrate to work as domestic help in Delhi and other north Indian cities.

Of a total of 33 districts in Odisha, 22 are identified as “high migration concentrated” districts. The State government, however, identifies only 11 districts as “migration prone districts”.