Hyderabad: The second wave of coronavirus is becoming more deadly as the country has seen a tremendous rise in the number of cases and deaths in the last 30 days. In order to control the situation and prevent it from worsening, many States have announced partial lockdowns which have left the workers traumatised.
The labourers working in Delhi, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka have already started returning to their respective hometowns. The situation is concerning but not alarming as it was the last year.
The state governments have given the assurance of providing all possible help to the labourers. The Railways have announced additional trains on many routes to take labourers safely back to their houses. The Central government has reactivated 20 control rooms across the country to resolve the grievances related to the wages of the workers.
Grim situation at railway stations and bus terminals
A severe spike in COVID-19 cases and persistent talk of a "complete lockdown" there to tackle it has, like last year led to the exodus of migrant workers from various cities, including Mumbai and Delhi, to their hometowns.
The situation is grim in Delhi, Maharashtra and Gujarat as hundreds of migrant workers thronged bus terminals and railway stations on Monday evening to board buses and trains to their native places.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has announced a relief package for the labourers and the licensed rickshaw drivers. However, these efforts by the government did not address any of the concerns of the workers.
Read: Lockdown fear among migrants amidst a surge in Covid19 cases
In Rajasthan, the government has directed the industry owners to help the workers engaged in their factories to deal with the prevailing situation.
The situation is no different in Gujarat. When ETV Bharat spoke to Amarjit Yadav, a labourer going back to Uttar Pradesh from Surat, said the markets are closed after 8 pm i.e the business hours and so they decided to return home. Similar concerns are prevalent among the workers, who do not want to stay back despite being assured all help by their employers.
Second COVID-19 wave: migrants recall 2020 lockdown
Trains from coronavirus-hit states have been arriving in Bihar daily carrying a large number of migrant workers returning home due to joblessness or fear of lockdown.
“I used to work in Mumbai. The factory was closed yesterday. So I have returned. Now, what will we do if the shop is closed? We will have to return or if we do not return, what will we eat", said Durganand, a worker who returned from Maharashtra.
Social distancing norms are ignored on the fully-packed trains. Administrative arrangements are proving to be inadequate in such a situation.
“Guidelines are being followed at stations. Still, some people do not follow the rules. We are closely monitoring the situation.” Shambhu Shah, ASI.
Migrant workers' crisis turns into a political debate
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has said that given the situation, it is the responsibility of the Central government to put money into their bank accounts. But will the government, which is blaming the public for spreading the coronavirus, take such a positive step for the people, he asks.
Attacking the central government, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi said that seeing the horrors of COVID-19, it was clear that the government would have to take drastic measures like lockdown, but migrant workers have been left to fend for themselves on their own. Is this the government’s plan? There should be policies that take care of everyone, she said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accused the Central government of not managing the crisis properly. Uttar Pradesh Minister Siddharth Nath Singh has responded to Kejriwal’s allegations. He said that Kejriwal himself has taken the decision of lockdown in a hurry. The Delhi government left the migrant labourers stranded on the borders. Now the UP government is helping them, he said.
Also Read: Scared of lockdown, workers start returning to their places in Bihar
