As many as 567 migrant workers were sent to their native places in the districts of North Karnataka through Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses from 12 migrant workers camps in Udupi district on Saturday.
G. Jagadeesha, Deputy Commissioner, told The Hindu that these workers wanted to return to their native places so that they could participate in the agricultural activities in their fields.
He had directed the tahsildars to check if there were other migrant workers who wanted to return. Some migrant workers wanted to stay here as some economic activities had started in the district.
“If there is any demand from other migrant workers for returning to their native places, we will consider it,” Mr. Jagadeesha said.
Uday Shetty, KSRTC depot manager, Udupi, said 20 buses were sent to pick up migrant workers from the 12 camps in places such as Udupi, Kaup, Koteshwar, Byndoor, Kundapur, Barkur, and Adiudupi between 7 a.m. and 11.30 p.m.
They boarded the buses after undergoing medical check-up at the camps. The buses had left for places, including Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Koppal, Ron, and Ilkal.
These workers had completed 28-day stay at these camps, he said. The administration had informed the KSRTC to arrange for buses to transport these migrant workers on April 24. They had also been provided with food packets, he said.
Disappointment in Mangaluru
Mangaluru Special Correspondent reports:
However in Mangaluru, several workers who came to the city centre, in the hope of reaching their native places, had to return disappointed.
Several migrant workers lined up near Town Hall since Saturday morning with their belongings. But to their dismay they found that the district administration had not made any arrangements for their transport.
Many were sent back while a few stayed back around Town Hall where the administration made arrangements for their food.
But an evening bulletin by Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B. Rupesh said that many migrant workers housed in government-run camps were sent back to their places by buses as per the government directive.
When asked about those assembled near Town Hall, Ms. Rupesh said they were not in camps. They will be shifted to hostels, she said, adding that the district administration needed clarification from the government on the issue.
