Of the 1,111 workers who boarded the train to Odisha from Aluva, some are convinced they will not return while others, like Gangadhar S., a construction worker, are unsure. He had moved here only a few months ago, he said, while standing in line to get his ID card verified and temperature checked before he gets his ticket issued.
Santosh who worked as a painting help near the Ernakulam Junction railway station is convinced that he will look for work on farmlands close to home, in a village near Behrampur, Odisha, rather than return to Ernakulam.
Padmanabh, who is returning to his family in Behrampur, lugs a sack and a backpack into which all his belongings - utensils, clothes and a bucket - have managed to fit. He was carrying them back, unsure of whether he would return at all, said he.
Rajendra Naik from Odisha said workers who could afford the ticket fare had been able to return. In most cases, contractors had not helped out, he said. The workers’ refrain, however, while waving to police and district administration officials on the platform, was thank you.
