"Hamara bachi ro rahahai, Jaldi gao ko bijado (Our children are crying, please send us home)," the workers engaged for work at the Polavaram project have pleaded the officials.
When the officials visited Polavaram and asked the labour there whether the facilities were good and assured them of providing food and accommodation, hundreds of labourers waved their hands saying that they don’t want anything and just want to go to their hometowns.
“You have to suffer without work in your villages. We will give good food, accommodation and medical facilities. Please understand the situation and stay back,” an officer appealed to the migrant workers. Immediately, the workers shouted that they want to go back and see their family members.
As the workers stick to their demand to go back, officers said they would make arrangements for their transportation and asked them to be patient. Finally, a few migrant labourers of Polavaram and engaged for work at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Mangalagiri, were sent to Bihar on Sunday.
The police and the officials had a tough time to control the workers at Jayanthipuram in Jaggaiahpet in Krishna district. Labourers of Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and other States were working in a cement factory. They staged a dharna for about four hours asking officials to send them back to their native places.
At Kovvur in West Godavari district, police resorted to lathi-charge when hundreds came on to the road and set off to go on walk. More than 2,000 workers of different States were engaged in sand reaches on Godavari bund in the district, said DSP K. Rajeswar Reddy.
“We came in search of some work here, but not to receive the lathi blows of the police. When hundreds of labourers demanded arrangements for transportation to home States, the government had neglected us. Though thousands of migrant labourers are walking on the highways in different States, Centre has ignored the problems of workers,” said a labourer, Siva Yadav of Bihar.
Torture alleged
“Many workers are desperate and are feeling homesick. We are unable to bear the torture of the managements on the sites. How can we work in such horrible conditions,” a woman worker, Sahani of Odisha, questioned.
Meanwhile, hundreds of migrant labourers were seen trekking on Chennai and Visakhapatnam National Highway carrying huge luggage and their children on the shoulders on Monday.
“I came for labour work to AP, but there was no work for the last 45 days due to lockdown. There is no money. How many days, shall I stay here without work. I don’t have money to travel by a special train. So I decided to walk,” said another labourer Bhandya of Jharkhand.
