Goa: Lack of clarity makes migrants throng govt offices for tkt home

Newton Sequeira | TNN | Updated: May 5, 2020, 06:40 IST

Migrant labourers show documents to cops in the hope of some help

PANAJI: The first day of a reopened Goa witnessed stark scenes across the state, as stranded migrant workers made a beeline to various offices looking to register or seek information on how they can reach home. Confusion was rife as imprecise messaging, dysfunctional websites, and a lack of clear directions in Hindi made an already anxious situation worse.
At the Tiswadi mamlatdar’s office, Monday morning saw a long line of desperate workers who arrived with their documents in the hope of getting their hands on train tickets to return home. Many of them said that their foremost anxiety isn’t contracting coronavirus, but their future employment prospects and the uncertainty of their return home.
Of the 3.5 lakh migrant workers in Goa, 80,000 have already registered themselves with the authorities seeking permission to return home.
According to a state government directive, migrants and their families who want to leave can submit an online application (http://goaonline.gov.in) or call state government helplines.
While calls to the helpline established for inter-state travel (0832-2419550) went unanswered, many lacked the skills to follow the process of an online application.
State government authorities said that the process to collect data from Goan and non-Goan workers who need help travelling is still on, and only after its completion will travel plans be finalised.
“People can approach the collector’s office, the local mamlatdar, panchayats or even the police station. We have allowed people to register at various places to avoid crowding,” said an IAS officer when asked about the process for migrants to register for travel back home.
Outside the North Goa collector’s office, some workers were turned away and asked to apply online. A list of different state government websites has been put up at the entrance of the collectorate and at the help desk outside the collector’s chamber.
Three workers from Karnataka who applied online to return home found that only one of their applications was approved, even though all three followed the same process.
Many more are keen to go back to their states, but delays in obtaining NOCs from their respective state governments now pose a hurdle. “Twenty of us live in one rented room,” said Mohammed Aslam from Uttar Pradesh, a daily wage worker at construction sites in Taleigao. “We tried finding work the whole day, but everyone turned us away. Finally, someone told us that they are giving forms here for us to go home.”
Echoes of Aslam’s plight resonate among migrant workers across the state. “We have done all formalities till date,” said Kashmiri businessman Javeed Ahmad. “We have filled online forms, given a list of 2,500 people with all details. Some of us have old parents and pregnant wives. Nobody from the Kashmir administration is responding to our pleas. Some of us are even ready to go walking to Kashmir.”
Multiple attempts by Aslam to open the uplabour.gov.in website failed, as the portal did not load. A dejected Aslam said that he would visit the collector’s office again on Tuesday.
And for Rajesh Patra, who wants to head to Odisha to be with his wife, his Aadhaar card has come in the way. Since the document lists his residence as Jharkhand, his online application was summarily rejected and Patra has no way to convince authorities of his plight.