Anantapur: CPM, NGOs extend help to migrants

Anantapur: Over 300 migrant workers from Bengaluru managed to sneak out of their city and were set to their native places in Uttar Pradesh, MP and Maharashtra states. The workers passing through the district highway in their long walkathon to UP received the hospitality provided by several organisations including CPI (M) and Praja Science Vedika.

Moved by the plight of migrant workers, these humane people set up food tents on the highway to feed the hungry people walking in hot sun.

Local organisations took pity on the hopeless migrant workers by stopping empty goods carriers and persuading the lorry drivers by allowing them to board their trucks.

Hundreds of migrants in Bengaluru with families, packed their utensils and blankets into rucksacks, some balancing children on their shoulders got into the trucks as they boarded goods carriers, containers belonging to UP, MP and Maharashtra.

While some could board the vehicles, others were forced to walk down to their places of destiny. They had no money, no food and no water and no hope of rejoining their families due to in surmountable challenges in their journey.

Their embarking on a risky journey was due to the failure of the Centre in reaching out to all migrant workers. A few trains were pressed into service as an eye wash while thousands of migrant workers are still walking to their destinations. From Devanahalle, the border town of Karnataka, hundreds who were driven away by their employers and denied wages for their period of work are hitting the national highways and embarking on highly risky journey of more than 2,000 km with no money in hand and depending upon the generosity of wayside villages.

Migrant workers who are a national asset are now being subjected to harassment, inhuman treatment and indifference by their host states. Separation from their families generates a new trauma.

Though they are provided with good food and better environment, they feel that family separation is one of many stressful experiences of a migrant worker.

Meanwhile District Collector Gandham Chandrudu told The Hans India that a special train is being arranged from Anantapur railway station to transport migrant workers from West Bengal to their native state.

A green signal from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is awaited. Also six private buses have been flagged off by MP Talari Rangaiah and MLA Anantha Venkatrama Reddy carrying Rajasthanis to their native state.