For the first time in his life, Ekbal Hussain from Assam is thinking of a flight journey.
Not for fulfilling any long-cherished dream but out of compulsion though he still has no clue where to find the money for it. Thanks to the ever-decreasing frequency of special Shramik trains, the likes of Ekbal, rendered jobless and stranded here, are forced to opt between the improbable, and equally unaffordable, flights or backbreaking bus journeys to get back home. The last such train from Ernakulam left with migrants to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on June 19, and there is no immediate plan to operate another service, according to Labour Department sources.
A bus journey to West Bengal, which is quite frequent from migrant-centric locations like Aluva and Perumbavoor, costs in excess of ₹8,000, while a similar ride to Assam, even longer, may further impoverish the crisis-hit migrants by well over ₹10,000.
Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development executive director Benoy Peter, who has been receiving calls from migrants asking for ways to get back home, felt that the dearth of reliable sources of information in their native languages had added to their anxiety. “The calls lay bare the fact that there are migrants still stranded here even after the expiry of the deadline set by the apex court on June 9 for arranging free transportation for them. Besides, there is still no uniformity in the registration process for migrants looking to travel by trains,” Mr. Peter said.
Even as migrants stranded here are mulling over taking flights back home, which they can ill afford, there is the dichotomy of desperate employers willing to splurge on flight tickets to bring back those who have already left.
“Our business has almost halved since the lockdown was lifted because of acute manpower shortage, and all industries are staring at a bleak future unless this problem is resolved. We are ready to fly down migrants if they are willing,” said Shibin Jose, director of the Kochi-based KLR Facility Management which supplies manpower for housekeeping in malls and hotels across the State.
