Migration major problem, but not a poll issue in Kosi & Seemanchal

PATNA: Parvati Devi (23) of Bisanpur village in Supaul district in Kosi region is in the family way. She is eagerly waiting for husband Manoj Ram (29), who had migrated to Punjab’s Ludhiana in search of a job in November last year.
“He will reach here by Tuesday morning and exercise his franchise at the nearby polling booth and also take care of my health. I need him as well as medical care,” said Parvati, a Class IX dropout who had cast her vote for the first time in the 2015 state assembly polls.

Parvati, who has to cover around 25km to reach the district headquarters town for medical advice, said, “Who will take care of me in case of any emergency? No young man is in the village who can help us in trouble. Most of them have gone to other places to earn bread for their families.”

Manoj’s neighbour Dadan Mandal, however, will miss the opportunity to exercise his franchise this time. Dadan, in his late 30s, works in a private firm at Ludhiana. “He was also willing to accompany Manoj, but his firm did not allow. Company wale ne chhuti nahi di. Isliye wo nahin aa sake (Company officials didn’t grant him leave),” rues Dadan’s wife Munia.

“But I will vote only for the party which promises job opportunities to skilled and unskilled labourers of our region as majority of people here depend on agriculture,” said Munia.

Migration of labourers, both skilled and unskilled, is a big issue in the Kosi-Seemanchal region. Lack of industry, coupled with perennial problem of flood in Kosi river, force many youths to migrate to other places like Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and even south Indian states in search of jobs. They return home after the harvest season is over.

“If you want to get a feel of the problem, go to the nearby Saharsa railway station. You will find a sea of youths jostling with each other to get a berth in the train bound for places like Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab,” says Pancham Lal Singh, who works for the uplift of migrant workers in Supaul.

According to Pancham, who is the director of a social organization named Lok Bharti Seva Ashram, villages such as Salakhua, Mahisi, Nirmali, Marauna, Bisanpur, Bhagwatiwahi, Basantpur and Saraigarh are among the worst-hit so far as the migration of unskilled workers from Supaul is concerned.

Majority of the migrant workers belong to the Scheduled Caste and the Mahadalit community. The magnitude of the problem can be gauged from the fact that villages have only old, women and children. “You will not find any young man in many villages. Only those youths who can’t afford to move outside due to family issues stay with their families,” said Sunil Kumar Singh (55) of Mahisi Bazar in Supaul district.

The situation is no better in neighbouring Jhanjharpur Lok Sabha constituency. Lalan Mandal (34) of Khairi Fatki village under Madhepur block works in a marble factory at Jaipur in Rajasthan. He recently came to his village from Jaipur. “Three of my brothers also live in Delhi and Mumbai,” says Lalan.

Lalan, a father of three minor children, curses his fate for not being able to get a permanent job. “We work as casual worker there. Though I am educated (a graduate from B N Mandal University, Madhepura), there is no job opportunity for me in Bihar. As a result, I have to move outside the state to eke out livelihood,” he regrets.

Bhuwanesh Mandal (42) explained the reason behind migration of labourers from Kosi-Seemanchal reason. “Who don’t want to live with one’s family? But the people have no option here. The poor have no land of their own for farming. Moreover, farmers are not paid real price of their agriculture produce. ‘Bichauliya ki chandi hai (middlemen have heyday),” the migrant labourer feels.

He said migration of labourers is not an issue in the Lok Sabha election. “Nobody talks about the issue plaguing the entire region,” he laments.

The state government doesn’t have any mechanism to ascertain the actual number of migrant workers in the state, especially in the Kosi-Seemanchal region. “The data has not been updated since long,” said an official at the state labour department on Monday.

Both Jhanjharpur and Supaul go to the polls on Tuesday.