A group of migrants who had been working at a brick kiln at in Kizhakancherikavu in Kerala travelled to their hometown in Mayiladuthurai on Saturday morning after a long struggle. A video which they had circulated seeking help finally led to a quick response from officials, they say.
Forty families hailing from Sirkazhi, Edamanal, Vadakkal had travelled to Palakkad in Kerala in November 2019 for work. While the work at the kiln was completed early in March, they prepared to return their hometown when the lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 was announced, they said.
For two months, the workers survived with the money they had earned but the cash soon ran out, R. Kumar, one of the workers, said.
“Groceries for two months left us dry. We did not know what to do and sought help.”
The family members of the workers, including small children and wives, can be seen pleading for help. “We have not seen our brothers and sisters, our parents for six months. We are unable to sustain ourselves here, please help us come back home,” Mr. Kumar says in the video. “We were initially told we would be able to travel in April but it did not happen as the lockdown was further extended,” he adds.
The video drew the attention of Nagapattinam Collector Praveen P. Nair, district officials in Palakkad and NGOs. Officials in both districts coordinated the mission to bring them back home.
A total of 87 people set off from Palakkad to Mayiladuthurai on a 10-hour journey on Friday. Three buses of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation ferried them and reached Mayiladuthurai on Saturday morning where the passengers were tested by healthcare workers. They have all been quarantined at the AVC College here which has been converted into a quarantine facility, officials said.
