Farmworkers from Kurnool stopped from returning to native places

Yerragondapalem: As many as 3,000 migrant farmworkers from Kurnool district are left in a fix with the police refusing to allow them to return to their native places.

According to workers, they went to Guntur district in search of livelihood and they had been working in agriculture fields. With the lockdown being imposed, they have lost their livelihood and they decided to go back to their native places. But the police prevented them from going back to their villages.

The migrant farmworkers, most of them with small children, started reaching Guntur and Prakasam districts borders on Kurnool highway from Saturday, but the Prakasam district police stopped them and did not allow them to go ahead.

The workers came from various villages which included Guduru, Kodumuru, Basavapuram, Danapuram, Isiri, Kadithota, Arekal, Pedagal, Doddanagiri, Hairavadi, Gonegandla, Remata, Belagal, Kandanati in Kurnool district.

They went to various places in Guntur district in January. They had been working as agriculture labourers in paddy and chilli farms. The locals and officials of villages, where they were staying, asked them to leave for their native places immediately. They set off in trucks and lorries to go back to their native places.

Not less than hundred vehicles carrying these workers reached the Gutla Ummadivaram check-post under Tripurantakam mandal, the inter-district border check post of Prakasam and Guntur districts, but the officers on duty did not allow them to cross as the police were ordered not to allow anyone to cross the border.

The Yerragondapalem Circle Inspector K Maruti Krishna explained to the workers that they could not allow the workers unless the higher authorities gave permission.

Taking pity on the plight of the workers, the villagers of Gutla Ummadivaram prepared food and distributed it to the labourers.

After consultation with the Guntur police and higher officials, Prakasam district Superintendent of Police Siddharth Kaushal directed the local police not to open the border and sent the workers back to Guntur only.

The Superintendent of Police told The Hans India that he had spoken to the officials and Guntur police would make arrangements for them in Guntur district.