For the past few weeks, S. Jyothi, a daily wage labourer in Perambur starts her day in the hope of finding a way to reach her native town in Andhra Pradesh.
She and her husband are among the 80 migrant workers belonging to Pathapatnam Mandalam, Srikakulam district, AP, who are desperately trying to get home since the end of April. With no work and no money for the past two months, these construction workers living at Mangalapuram near Perambur railway station have made many attempts to reach AP.
“We normally visit our villages at least once a year. When we were planning to leave in March this year, the government announced the lockdown. I’ve not met my children for the past one year. They are desperate to see me. We are struggling to make ends meet here without work,” said Ms. Jyothi.
The workers initially attempted to leave the city in batches in private vehicles and sought an e-pass from the Tamil Nadu government. But, they were stopped at the Tada check-post at the inter-state border and were asked to apply for a pass from the AP government.
R. Ravikumar, a construction contractor in Perambur who has been coordinating with the workers, said: “We applied on the AP website on May 10. But we received only an acknowledgement receipt and there has been no response so far. We have also registered with the Greater Chennai Corporation to organise train travel for these workers. E-mails have also been sent to the authorities concerned in the GCC.”
There has been no response yet except for acknowledgement of the application. “I managed to organise provisions for the families along with a few others. The workers are struggling with little resources and are desperate to reach their homes,” he added.
