Several hundred migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh who tried to set out on a long march on foot back to their States were stopped by the police in Kannur on Tuesday.
They said lack of work, finances, and inadequate supply of food at camps made life miserable, forcing them to take the extreme step.
Carrying water cans and belongings, the workers started walking along rail tracks from nearby Valapatanam, home to plywood-based industries, to the Kannur railway station, a distance of 12 km, early in the day on receiving fake messages that trains to Uttar Pradesh will be stopping at the station.
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“We have no work and food is insufficient, putting us in hardship,” said Tilak Sahani, a native of Baliya in Uttar Pradesh, who has been working at Pappinesseri for the past couple of years.
He and several others from his village were staying at Pappinesseri and dredging river sand for a living. With the work coming to a stop after the lockdown, they were confined to rooms. Though they received material from the panchayat, it lasted only ten days, he added.
The panchayat or the district administration were not helping them to go back home despite them registering for passes, complained Rajdev, another worker.
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The workers were later taken in Kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses by the police to their camps.
CM’s directive
Later, officials said the complaints of the workers would be looked into. In the wake of the incident, the Chief Minister ordered police officers to visit labour camps and enquire about the well being of the workers.