With extension of lockdown, the future of about 5,000 families of migrant workers, whose temporary shelters dot along the highways across Chittoor district, looks bleak. Now, their focus is not on masks or gloves, but on how to escape from hunger. More so because they are ‘outsiders’ the moment they come out of their work places, disliked by the local workforce.
A big workforce from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan throngs Chittoor district in all seasons, to eke out a livelihood in brick kilns, poultry farms, granite and stone crushing quarries, mango orchids, road works and construction activity. Over the years, by virtue of their skills, several of the batches have earned the goodwill of the contractors in various fields, particularly painting and granite polishing.
Now, only a few contractors are taking care of their families, providing them essential ration and small cash, hoping to re-employ them once normalcy is restored. While a local worker demands ₹500 a day, his migrant counterpart adjusts to ₹100.
NGOs, police to the rescue
However, a number of voluntary organisations have come to their rescue in the red zone areas of Tirupati, Srikalahasti and Nagari. Superintendent of Police S. Senthil Kumar arranged a shelter to feed about 500 migrant workers in Chittoor and surrounding areas.
Interestingly, a seven-member family from Patna was rescued from hunger from their thatched hut near Puthalapattu by the area police on April 16.
Reclusive group
"Except our work site, we do not know anything about the surroundings. Our employer gave us ₹100 on March 23 and disappeared leaving us to our fate," laments Janardhan, a worker from Lucknow, at a mango garden near Puthalapattu.
Several migrant workers languishing in the railway station at Kuppam were rescued and kept on the list for providing daily food.
"The biggest problem with migrant workers is that they prefer to starve rather than come out with their problems. We have to track and rescue them," says Mahesh Swero of the foundation, involved in distributing food packets to about 500 workers daily.
