Rajasthan: Dirty toilets, poor quality food at shelter home irk workers

JAIPUR: Migrant workers, most of them from Bihar and West Bengal, staying at a shelter home at Kanota in Bassi, from where they are sent to different states, complained that there were no separate toilets for women and ceiling fans were not functioning properly. They also complained that cleanliness in the toilets was a big issue, quality of food was not up to the standard and adequate number of mattresses were not available there.
Most of them wanted the administration to arrange transport for them at the earliest so that they could leave for their states. They even threatened to start walking again if buses or trains are not arranged for them to leave. “We have to go to the jungle to attend nature’s call. The toilets are very dirty and are not cleaned properly. The toilets stink. Please arrange transportation for us so that we can leave this place. I have been living in this shelter home for the past three days. Even the food which is being provided is not of good quality,” said Pintu Barman, who hails from West Bengal and was working in Ajmer.
Following complaints district administration swung into action and made necessary arrangements. “Earlier, there was one mobile toilet, now two mobile toilets have been arranged - one for male and the other for female. We have set up separate stalls for distribution of food packets and pots made of mud (matka) have been kept at the camp. The toilets at the school ground (shelter home) have also been cleaned up for them to use. We have also made arrangement for proper lighting and the tents have been expanded,” said Bassi SDM Ram Kumar Verma. “We will also be making arrangements for 25 coolers and 200 more mattresses for the migrants workers from Bassi,” he added.
Divisional commissioner K C Verma and collector Joga Ram on Sunday inspected the shelter camp set up at the girls’ higher secondary school in Kanota and enquired about the problems faced by the workers living there.
They had instructed the officers to improve standard of the facilities, improve quality of food, arrange disposable plates to serve food, to arrange milk packets and biscuits for children.
Verma said a water tank should be arranged along with 100 pots made of mud (matka) in the camp. On Monday, 700 workers were sent to Uttar Pradesh from the camp on 20 buses and 200 others were sent from Mahua camp. They were sent to Hathras via Bharatpur border. Around 800 migrants workers are now staying at the shelter home, of which 650 are from Bihar and will be sent home in 2-3 days. On Monday, in all 1500 workers left for Uttar Pradesh on 50 buses.