Migrant labourers from Odisha stranded in brick kilns and construction sites in other States are worried about their children as the government-run seasonal hostels, where they were put up, are closed prematurely following the COVID-19 alert.
About 5,000 children, aged below 14 years, have been handed over to distant relatives and community members in Balangir and Nuapada districts of Odisha while their parents are yet to return home.
Seasonal hostels were introduced in western Odisha districts of Balangir, Nuapada, Bargarh, Kalahandi and Subarnapur from where thousands of families migrate for seven months every year to work in brick kilns in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Earlier, these labourers used to take their school-going children with them. As a result, they were losing valuable school hours as well as protein food.
In Balangir and Nuapada districts, 62 each seasonal hostels were opened this year. In view of COVID-19 scare, all government-run seasonal hostels have been closed since March 24. While the government claims that children have been handed over to their parents, experts believe not more than 20% of migrant labourers have returned.
“I don’t know the whereabouts of my 12-year-old son Hem Singh who was in hostel at Nangalbod in Nuapada district. We cannot move from here... I am worried,” Bhujbal Singh Majhi, who works in SLV Brick kiln at Pandeswaram near Chennai, told The Hindu over phone.
Indra Bhoi, who had left behind her 11-year-old son in Patalpada village under Muribahal block of Balangir district, said, “We don’t know what coronavirus is. What we are informed is that this is dangerous and could kill many. We had put our son in a seasonal hostel. Now, he is with her uncle. We are really worried.” She added the government should have taken care of him.
About 3,000 workers from western Odisha districts are still in brick kilns near Chennai. Conservative estimate says the number would cross 20,000 if all four States are taken into account. According to Balangir district administration, all children were released after consultation with local guardians.
