Jaipur (Rajasthan): The coronavirus-induced lockdown, to flatten the curve of COVID-19 transmission so that its healthcare system is not overwhelmed, has underscored just how vulnerable millions of migrant workers in the country continue to be.
The plight of the migrants, in the short run, must be treated as a humanitarian crisis needing urgent attention.
Between 8000 and 10000 migrant labourers are stuck in different industrial units located in different parts of Rajasthan's Jaipur district. The condition of these workers is such that most of them have no idea about the food and ration that are being supplied by the administration.
These workers have repeatedly appealed to the government for help, but to no avail.
The workers and labourers, in different parts of the city, are now just hoping to get a chance to go home.
According to them, living in the city amid cash crunch has become a daunting task.
The stranded labourers from Bihar demanded that the government of Rajasthan should get in touch with the Bihar government to ensure that they can be sent to their home peacefully.
To take the stock of the ground reality of these stranded migrant workers, ETV Bharat reached an Iron-work factory, where more than 50 labourers were residing in labour quarters. Most of these labourers were found to be hailing from Chhapra, Gaya and Siwan districts of Bihar.
The labourers said that following Prime Minister Modi’s order, they have not left for their homes and stayed back in their quarters.
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"The lockdown got extended and it has been more than a month now. In such a long time, our savings too have finished and now we live on the whims of our contractors," they said.
The workers further informed that the contractors give them food only once a day and it will be provided only up to May 3.
It is to be noted here that the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has written to governments of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, in response to which both states expressed their inability to help.
ETV Bharat team also reached the VKI industrial area in Jaipur and found that claims of district collector are hollow.
According to the district administration, food is being provided to as many as 2.5 lakh people every to ensure that no one remains hungry. But, when these labourers narrated their ordeal, it became clear that all these tall claims are false, and that the ground reality is very different.
The workers told that they have to strive very hard even to get the little amount of food provided by the administrators.
An elderly labourer said that no help whatsoever has been provided even after calling many times on the helpline number.
They painfully said that they are stuck due to lack of resources and hope that the government would soon take some initiatives to send them home.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, a shopkeeper said that the business has also fallen approximately by 70% and most of the people are taking the goods on credit.
It is to be noted that the country is under complete lockdown till May 3 to check the spread of coronavirus.
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