A long walk

CHENNAI: A group of 55 construction labourers were stopped by police near Old Washermenpet for assembling in large numbers. The group then told the cops that they were going home, to Jharkhand. They worked in Guindy, and started walking in the afternoon. They were provided accommodation in two shelters. 

‘We won’t eat till we are let to go home’
Coimbatore: “We came to Coimbatore three years back. Now, if we are desperate to leave, it’s because of a reason,” says K Ajay Bharadwaj. Over hundred migrant workers from North Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, staged a protest at Sivananda Colony and Rathinapuri surroundings of Coimbatore on Tuesday. They refused to take the food offered by the police, until special trains are arranged for them to go home. “We are all facing financial crisis for more than a month. Our families, dependent on us for money, are on the verge of poverty. We can only save them if we return to our homes,” says Ajay. Soon, higher officials arrived at the spot. They convinced the workers that the government, indeed, was looking into their problems and would soon find a solution. The protest was then called off.  

Hunger powers 2,500-km cycle trek
Tirupur: Six men on cycles were stopped by the police in Avinashi on Tuesday, 30 km from Coimbatore. It turned out they were migrant labourers working in Coimbatore. Their plan was to cycle 2,500 km to go home to Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal. “We were driven by hunger. Our employer was not providing any support,” said one worker. For several years, the six of them have been working in Coimbatore. “We sought help from our employer, at least to feed ourselves but that request was denied. As life kept getting harder we decided to take the chance and start cycling homewards.” Fortunately, the police found them. The officials had a word with the employer, who has promised to take care of them.

‘There’s no work here, there’s no money at home’
Coimbatore: For 20-year-old Shankar Pradhan of Odisha, it makes no sense staying back in Coimbatore. “There’s no work happening here anymore,” says the construction labourer. “And, my parents and wife are struggling to survive back home. I really need to go. I wish the State does something.” “I used to earn around `500 a day. Without that, surviving here and supporting a family back home has become impossible.” Shanker has applied for a travel pass, along with 34 others on government portal. “I have not heard back yet. I hope things are sorted soon,” he said. N Ramaswamy, manager of Odisha Migration Support Centre in Tirupur said there are around 8,000 labourers trained under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana in Coimbatore and Tirupur.

‘Lockdown has made me beg for food’
Tirupur: Nandalal Paswan (28) of Bihar, who works as a tailor in a garment unit in Tirupur, says he was forced to beg for food from his neighbours. “Belonging to a lower-middle-class family in Bihar, I never faced such trouble in my village. Adding to woes, two days ago my employer telephoned and said he still has not received any work orders. Though my house owner has not demanded rent, I feel very bad that I am unable to pay. So, I along with my friends applied online for travelling to Bihar through the train.” For Ajay Kumar (32) of Bihar, his request for salary advance was denied by his employer. “Since I had to pay a loan, I along my wife and son decided to stay on here for now. Besides, the railway coaches will be jampacked, and there is a risk of the spread of infections. So, we are planning to move after three months to Bihar,” he said.Construction worker D Vicky (29), a native of Bihar, says there are over 700 north Indian labourers in Salem, where he works. “Most of the bachelors want to go home. Not all of us may find jobs back home easily, but we want to be with out parents for the time being.”  

80 from Tiruchy seek help to go back
Tiruchy: B Ramchand cannot wait to get back home to Uttar Pradesh. He has not worked in the last two months, and has not sent money home. On top of it, he’s struggling to pay some debts here. Ramchand is one of the many such labourers stranded in Tiruchy. He and 80 others had applied for travel passes with the district administration. All of them are construction labourers. “We cannot arrange private transport and are entirely dependant on the government to send us back home,” says Ramchand.

Labourers, students seek district administration’s help
Namakkal: Close to 2,000 labourers and students from other states have been reaching out to the district administration, to get them back home. K Malik (47) from Odisha, who works with a spinning mill in Komarampalayam, says he’s staying with 14 other labourers.  “I have been working here for the last four years. During the first week of the lockdown, I managed with whatever little savings I had. Later, I approached the Odisha government for help through the helpline number. Immediately, I received relief materials from the district.” “Now my pocket is empty. I have not worked for the past 40 days. My employer also refused help.I cannot think of how much my family must be struggling back home,” adds Malik.