A sizeable chunk of migrant workers, mostly from West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, who have been the backbone of the State’s construction sector are preparing to leave the State in the aftermath of the prolonged nationwide lockdown.
Their departure is likely to hit development works in the State adversely.
The State is not sure as to how many Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs), who were doing more or less the same work in various construction sites abroad, are going to fill this vacuum left by the migrant labourers.
The State has already announced many relaxations in the lockdown norms.
Meanwhile, the outflow of migrant labour and inflow of NoRKs have gained momentum. The first train carrying migrant workers from Pathanamthitta is scheduled to leave the Thiruvalla railway station on May 10.
Being a major Non-Resident Keralite pocket, the district is sure to feel labour scarcity in the days to come.
In various fields
The migrant workers engage in almost all activities, giving good support to the farm sector, construction sector, hotels, shops and various other business establishments.
They contribute to economic development of the labour-scarce State in a big way.
“Almost half of the labour at our construction sites are leaving this week. However, we are trying to complete various KIIFB-funded projects in a time-bound fashion by closing down our hollow brick units and other companies to utilise the manpower at our construction sites,” says Shaji Mathew Palathra, managing director of a leading construction company here.
Travel arrangement
Thiruvalla Subcollector Vinay Goyal said the district housed a total of 16,066 migrant workers and as many as 9,300 of them wanted to return to their home villages. As many as 6,655 of them were from West Bengal.
District Collector P.B. Noohu said that an action plan was getting ready for their safe return journey from the Thiruvalla railway station.
He said help desks would be set up at various taluks and at the Thiruvalla station to pass on all relevant information to the migrant workers camping at various labour camps in the district.
Rail fare
The workers would have to remit their rail fare to the village officer concerned the day before the journey date, he said.
The District Labour Officer would provide masks and sanitisers to them.
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation would arrange transport facility for them from various labour camps to the railway station, said the Collector.
