Bihar workers in Jodhpur struggle to go back home

JODHPUR: Migrant workers continue to suffer despite tall claims made by the state government that they are being taken care of right from accommodation to transportation. At least some of these workers, who have been loitering across the city knocking on the doors of the administration for a definitive response, suggest so.
This group of about 50 workers, all from Bihar who were earlier working at the Barmer oil refinery site in Pachpadra, was found assembled at the district collectorate in anticipation of some solution on Thursday.
“We had left the refinery site a week ago and walked to Jodhpur, a distance of 100km. We wanted to go back to Bihar,” said one Pradeep Kumar from Darbhanga.
He said that they had been sitting idle with no work and food after their contractor left them to fend for themselves. “He told us that he was not in position to take care of us and left us with no alternative than to leave for our homes,” Kumar said.
He said they had been seeking help from police and the administration and even went to bus station to explore possibilities for travel to their homes, but all in vain. “It has been five days since we reached Jodhpur and have been stranded here with no means to proceed further. We have no place to stay and have been managing on footpaths and other public places,” he added.
Interestingly, in their 100km march from Pachpadra to Jodhpur, they were not intercepted anywhere enroute, which pointed to the glaring negligence of the administration.
Two days ago, too, a group of 15 workers from the same venue walked to Jodhpur uninterrupted with no inquiry or questioning on the check-posts meant to be set up for migrant movement.
This group belonged to MP and had been engaged in civil work at the Pachpadra refinery, but like the former group, they were also left to fend for themselves by their contractor. But refuting the allegations of these workers, SDM (Balotra) Rohit Kumar said they have been leaving willingly and not because of their contractor. “Work at the refinery has not stopped. All kind of civil work at the site was in progress. These workers have been leaving on their will,” he said.