Worker sets off on foot to Madhya Pradesh after daughter dies in hometown

HYDERABAD: While the social media platforms have come to the rescue of many citizens in getting passes and assistance from the government in case of emergencies like pregnancy or death, many, who are not on social media, especially the migrant workers, are leaving for their hometowns on foot when eventualities like death occur.

In one such grim story, a labourer at a worksite at Alkapur Township, road no. 25, left for his native place in Madhya Pradesh in the early hours of Monday after he was informed about his daughter’s death.

The worker, along with 25 others, had first attempted to leave at 10 pm on Sunday only to be stopped by the local residents, who had convinced them to stay. “We saw the group moving with their bags on their head. They had small children and women with them, who were determined to leave. They took inspiration from a group of nearly 10 people who had left for Uttar Pradesh from the same worksite a week ago,” informed Alashyam Naveen Kumar, Councillor of Manikonda Municipality. “While one of the workers’ daughter died back home, the others just wanted to leave as there has been no assistance from the builder,” informed Naveen.

It is alleged that the MRO  refused to supply essentials to the workers stating that the builder who had hired them for work must support them as per the official announcement from the CMO. However, he had merely given Rs 250 and vegetables to them in the last 30 days.

“It appears that the government and the builder are passing the buck. The MRO states that the builder has to provide for camps on site, but he/she hasn’t done enough. We raised a complaint with the Labour Department, but to no avail,” added Manoj Kumar, a resident of Alkapur Township.