Migrant workers start pouring out on roads in city too

Payal Dhawan | TNN | Apr 16, 2020, 07:43 IST

Ludhiana: The migrant workers living in Ludhiana have also started coming out on the roads, showing their eagerness to go back to their home states. On Wednesday, several migrants came out on the road, demanding the administration to let them go to their home states. According to officials, there are nearly eight lakh migrant living in Ludhiana city.
The workers, including women, sat on the road in Sherpur outside the government school in Sherpur Kalan amid the curfew, saying they were not getting ration. They sat on the road, raised slogans against the police and administration, and demanded a return to their home states. Following this, cops from Moti Nagar and Focal Point police stations reached there and tried to pacify them, but to no avail. Then, cops used mild force to disperse them from the spot. Again in the evening too, some of the workers came out, and raised slogans again, following which the police again pacified them and sent them home.
With a similar demand, some migrants had also gathered at Kakowal Road on Tuesday night. They also accused some traffic marshals of beating them up, and demanded a return to their home states. They alleged that if they go out of the houses to get ration, the traffic marshals beat them up.
One migrant said, “My neighbour had gone out to get wheat flour, but the traffic marshal started beating him with a stick. This is the way we are being treated here. We want to go back to our home states.”
Additional SHO at Jodhewal police station, Daljeet Singh, said the police had gone there to pacify them. “We asked them to lodge a complaint with the police, but nobody turned up to lodge a complaint.”
In this situation, when the police are booking, challaning, and even lodging residents in open jails for violating curfew orders, the issue of migrants has become a tough call for the administration. Therefore, to make them remain in the city, Ludhiana police have launched special helpline numbers for them.
Police commissioner Rakesh Agarwal said, “We have identified 160 such pockets where the population is mostly of migrant labourers. In the past few days of the lockdown, the administration has identified that 50% of the migrant population doesn’t need help. The rest of them are being helped jointly by the administration, police, NGOs, and their own groups where they work. We have also launched special helplines for migrants for different problems like getting ration, cooked food, curfew passes, medical aid, non-payment of salaries, etc.”
On asking how many migrants have left the city so far, Agarwal replied, “Less than 1,000. A few have cycled to their home states, and some are taking the help of truck drivers transporting essential goods. Some migrants had walked out of the city, but they were stopped at the Haryana border and sent back.”
The police chief further added that EPFO (Employee’s Provident Fund Organisation), Employee’s State Insurance Scheme (ESIC), labour and industries departments were also working to give every possible help to the migrant labourers.
“The registered labourers are getting Rs3,000 per month from the state, and Rs500 per month under Jan Dhan Yojana. Besides, under the EPFO, labourers can get some amount of PF sitting at home. We are making the best efforts for migrants to keep them here.”
The police chief had also uploaded his video on the Facebook account of Ludhiana police, asking migrant workers to stay put in the city, assuring them of providing assistance.
3 TRUCK DRIVERS ARRESTED
On Tuesday night, Moti Nagar police arrested three truck drivers of Sangrur district, identified as Gurmukh Singh and his accomplices Zakir Alam and Mohammad Asif.
ASI Anil Kumar of Moti Nagar police station said, “The police got information that the accused truck driver and his accomplices are loading the luggage of some migrants in Muslim Colony to take them along. The police reached there, and nabbed the accused, while the workers managed to escape.”
HELPLINES FOR MIGRANT WORKERS
To get cooked food: 9115601159
To get ration: 9115601160
To complain against employer for not giving salary: 9115601161
To get local pass: 0161-2776019
For medical aid: 0161-2776020
For any other help: 0161-2776022