Concerned citizens, NGOs and activists, under the umbrella of ‘Advocacy Covid Lockdown Collective’, decried the “highly non-transparent” mechanism of issue of passes and departure of trains for migrant workers aiming to reach home states. The process is difficult for the workers to understand, they said, in a letter addressed to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
The movement passes for reaching railway stations (MRPS) were not being filled in diligently, and the MRPS, and the two SMSes conveying system-generated number and confirmation details respectively were entirely in English, while majority of the workers only knew to read their mother tongue, the letter said.
The second SMS was often unclear without train details. When the number given was called, the worker was guided to come to certain place and taken in local transport to the railway station. In some SMSes, the workers were directed to come to certain place immediately, which they were unable to.
Lacking any awareness about procedure, several migrant workers construe MRPS to be the travel pass and end up at random railway stations, the letter said.
Huge time gap between the issue of movement pass and receipt of second SMS, besides slow registration process, was the reason the workers are travelling on foot, it said.
Officials at the ground level, including police, were unable to help as they were not fully aware of the procedure, schedule of trains and other details.
Difficulties in local travel, contractors disowning responsibility, lack of food, water and shelter at railway stations and highways were other issues brought forth by the Collective.
Suggestions
Making some suggestions, the letter sought wide publicity about the procedure in text as well as pre-recorded audio and video messages in Hindi, Oriya, and Bengali languages.
It would be useful if a team of officials within each mandal was charged with the process of mass registration, by going to the residence of workers.
Workers should be provided clear details of train and bus schedule at least two days in advance, and local travel should be arranged up to the station. Database of migrant workers should be maintained and shared with their home-state.
It was signed by representatives of Rythu Swarajya Vedika, Dalit Bahujan Front, MAKAAM, Human Rights Forum, National Alliance of People’s Movements, Ammomat Society, Montfort Social Institute, Caring Citizens Collective, Anveshi Research Centre, Bhumika Women’s Collective, MV Foundation, and several other organisations, apart from individuals.
