Migrant Labourers deserve a better deal

RK Sinha

Coronavirus has caused untold miseries.The worst suffers are the migrant labour.They helped build bridges.They helped build roads.States prospered with their help.They were the darlings of the employers.It was not years ago. only yesterday.But today they are unwanted.Rejected and dejected they are on the streets now,tired,hungry,carrying crying children on shoulders.

Roads they have built are no more safe for them.Many of them have been killed by fast moving vehicles. Exhaustion and hunger could be another reasons for untimely death.The exact number is not available at present.It may be as high as 400.The latest report of accident-death has come from Saharanpur.A speedy roadways bus crushed to death on Wednesday at least six migrant labourers using Saharanpur- Muzaffarnagar highway to reach Gopalganj in Bihar on foot.Many others have been admitted to a nearby hospital. A few days ago eight UP worke were killed in a road accident near Guna in Madhya Pradesh . More than 50 were injured. They were all returning home sitting in a trackter-trailer.

Sixteen people lost their lives near Badnapur – Karmad railway station in Aurangabad district in Maharashtra.They were killed by a goodstrain.The whole country was shocked by the news of death of  these migrant laborers. The cause of that incident is  being investigated.The workers killed in the incident were residents of Madhya Pradesh.

These labourers were working in a factory in Jalna.They were stuck there due to the lockdown.  On the fifth of May, they decided to go home as they were told that they have been  removed from job. They walked along the railway track after covering some distance walking on road. They stopped for some rest after walking about 40 km.They are reported to have walked along the track because on road policemen were questioning them.Because of a long walk many of them were tired.Some of them were fast asleep between tracks, using them as pillows.The goodstrain mowed down 16 of them.

Seven other workers were killed in a road accident near Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.They were from Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh and were hit by a truck.Earlier,two migrant laborers from Jharkhand had died in a truck accident. Similarly, a bus carrying laborers from Odisha met an accident in Telangana ,killing many”Shramveer”. Returning from Punjab to Agra a migrant labourer died on road in Greater Noida due to hunger and heat.

All of them had begun their journey after the lockdown.It has gone unabated so far.Some of them have travelled hundreds of kilometres to reach their destinations.Some of them have blisters on feet.They were accompanied by  wives and children.Some pregnant women  gave birth to children on the streets and after resting for a few hours, took the newborn baby in their arms and moved on.There may be a large middle class and a large upper middle class in the country. There are some who have become millionaires.Some others have become billionaires.But the condition of the poor has not still improved.Kids go without milk. Many menstruating women do not get sanitary pads. After seeing the pictures of these women and laborers my heart bleeds.Why did not the country  think of giving some additional rights to the poor in  last seventy years?

Now the number.According to 2011 census, there are about 60 million migrant laborers in the country. This number must have gone up considerably now. Of the total, two crore migrant laborers are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar alone. After the lockdown, they bagan  journey home–to their states ,villages and towns.That is not over yet.

The government must take the moral responsibility.In addition,it has to explain why these accidents happened ?A big question which comes up in this connections is, why are the state governments and officials associated with labourers not able to help them reach their destinations ? Are the numbers coming in the way?More than 60 lakh labourers belonging to Bihar are working outside.To bring all of them in a short span of time,maintaining a distance, is a big ask.Still,something has to be done to send them home,and safely.They cannot  be left to die on the streets. Before these,the country and the world had only heard stories of struggles ,torture and subsequent deaths of laborers transported from India to Caribbean islands and African countries.

In addition to migrant workers we have to think about the domestic help,women working in homes in metropolitan cities.They clean houses and do other such jobs.Some of husbands who have become  alcohol addicts.Their families survive because of  their hard work. But nowadays they are not being allowed to come in because  of Covid- 19 .That has added to the worries of migrant labourers and their families.The Government  has also to  think of these domestic workers. They need ration and relief. They all live in rented houses. They may not be able to pay the rent.Clearly,Covid- 19 has created a big crisis for everyone. The government and administration will have to come forward  in a big way during this challenging time to help people in these sections.

Government officials will have to be more helpful.Some of them have not yet changed their mind-set.  A few days ago  a home guard had to do sit-ups on the road because of a Bihar government official. He was suspended when the video went viral.Another officer in UP’s Pratapgarh ,was seen kicking a migrant worker.Such officers may be found elsewhere too.It should not be concluded from these  stories that the central and state governments are not doing much to provide relief to them.They are trying their best to help them return home and live a better life.In the light of these reports,however, a sane advice would be to do something more.The sooner,the better.

( The writer is a Senior Editor,columnist and former MP )