Narayanpet (Telangana): As many as 60 migrant workers from Odisha who were stranded in the Telangana's Nayaranpet district during the lockdown period are facing unexpected challenges.
According to sources, some families from Odisha came to Narayanpet district 5 months ago. They had contracted with the owners to work at brick kilns near Jinnaram village in the district.
As the work completed, they decided to go back to their state in spite of lockdown situations and they asked the owner to seek permission from officials for them to go back to Odisha.
The owner tried to convince them to stay back and work there for some time. But the migrants refused and started walking to Odisha on Wednesday night.
"By Tuesday night, we had already exhausted half of our money. So we decided to go home. We first walked 40 km. We rested a bit and started walking again. We survived only on water. But it is better to be in the village than in a city where we will not even get food," a worker said.
With a small bundle of clothes and belongings slung over their shoulders, the migrant labourers walked for hours with no food. The group lumbered into Devarakadra, where they met with an unexpected stroke of good luck. Some police personnel gave them food to eat.
Even the police asked them to stay there, but the migrants begged officials to send them to Odisha. Observing the workers' condition and the present situation, authorities are trying to evacuate migrant workers from Mahabubnagar.
Officials are taking steps to talk with the brick kiln owner in Jinnaram and get them back to the work. Officials have also urged the migrant workers not to go on foot with hasty decisions.
Notably, Stranded after the lockdown, thousands of such workers are walking back to their villages and towns from their places of work hundreds of kilometers away. The nationwide lockdown has made such a gloomy situation for them. For this, they are trying to suppress their hunger while they desperately look for any mode of transport to get back home.
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