A Herculean task awaits the Khammam district administration to ensure the hassle-free return of more than 30,000 migrant workers presently stranded in the district due to coronavirus lockdown to their native places in various States across the country.
The district has an overwhelming number of 42,581 migrant workers, mostly from Maharashtra and several States in north India. Of these, around 30,161 workers are staying in temporary shelters arranged by those, who hired them for various works like farm operations and construction activities across the district. Around 487 migrant workers are housed in a total of 18 State-run relief camps in various parts of the district. Apart from catering to the basic needs of the stranded migrant workers, the district administration has disbursed an amount of ₹ 500 each to around 30,450 migrant workers amounting to ₹ 1.52 crore.
A comprehensive action plan will be formulated on Thursday as per the stipulated guidelines to forge effective coordination with the officials of the neighbouring States to ensure smooth inter-State movement of the stranded migrant workers in strict compliance with the due protocols of the Ministry of Health and Home Affairs as well as lockdown norms, official sources said.
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In Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, around 177 migrant workers are presently sheltered in a total of eight State-run relief camps.
Six temporary shelters for migrant workers were set up in the integrated old district and about 700 workers took the shelter in them. Four shelters — one each at Rajiv Gandhi Auditorium, Old Municipal Office, Pulong and Kanteswar have been opened in Nizamabad and two, one at Model School, Sadasivanagar and another at SC Hostel in Kamareddy —are being run under the aegis of the government.
Collectors of erstwhile Nalgonda district said they are waiting for a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) to be issued by the State government, in addition to the MHA guidelines. And then they would start coordinating measures.
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According to Nalgonda District Collector Prashant J Patil, an approximate 300 persons are in government relief camps at five locations of Wadapally, Nagarunasagar, Mall, Kondamallepalli and Chityal. Total number of migrant workers engaged in industries are about 16,000.
[With inputs by P.Sridhar (Khammam), P. Ram Mohan (Nizamabad) and B.Pradeep (Nalgonda)]