As the lockdown deadline draws closer, anxiety in remote Bhatigaon panchayat in Odisha’s Bargarh district steadily rises. However, the presence of Dhaneswar Podha, a Naib Sarpanch, helps calm the nerves.
For the past one month, Mr. Podha has been constantly motivating about 90 migrant labourers stranded in Tamil Nadu and their family members back home in Odisha to stay calm.
Rescued as a bonded labourer from Andhra Pradesh a few years ago, he is now readying isolation centres for prospective returnees at his village, while bringing all his experience of being an exploited migrant to play during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
“More than the physical infrastructure, the mental sturdiness would help tide over the crisis. Migrant workers have already spent a month in a state of idleness and uncertainty. Persuading them to undergo quarantine for another 14 days will be very difficult task,” said 30-year-old Mr. Podha.
In 2012, he, along with his wife and children, were rescued from a brick kiln in Gudur in Andhra Pradesh. Using the rehabilitation assistance of ₹20,000 received under Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, he rebuilt his life and went on to become Naib Sarpanch.
“I had gone to work in a brick kiln for six months’ wage of ₹40,000 for me and my wife. Upon reaching their, the brick kiln operator refused to pay the wage and forced us to work in the kiln. The mental trauma I had gone through then was unbearable,” said Mr. Podha. He was among 288 bonded labourers to be rescued from the brick kiln.
As there are only 20 beds available, he is now in search of more vacant buildings that can be converted into isolation facilities.
Comforting others
Talking to migrant workers over phone, he tells them not to lose patience and hope. The Naib Sarpanch also kept reminding them of spending 14 days in quarantine. “Dhaneswar Podha lives in the community. He had experienced trauma previously. His words of solace will carry more weight,” said Jyoti Prakash Brahma, who works with Aide et Action, an international voluntary organization.
Jagadish Thapa in remote Chandotara village in Balangir district reveals a similar story. He was working as a bonded labourer and had faced abuse and threat at his workplace in Karnataka before being rescued. Upon his rescue, he used a small sum as capital to become an agricultural entrepreneur. Now, he is manning an isolation centre in his panchayat and comforting migrant labourers and their family members.
“It is encouraging to see how the Odisha government is using community leaders like Jagdish Thapa to sensitise the community on the dangers of COVID-19. Clearing misconceptions around the homecoming migrants, if not addressed wisely, can make the crisis acute,” said Neenu Thomas, Director of International Justice Mission, an NGO working on migration issues in Odisha.
An uneasy calm prevails in villages across the State as 7.5 lakh migrant workers are likely to return after lockdown restrictions are lifted. The Naveen Patnaik government has urged gram panchayats to tackle the crisis emerging from migrants’ influx.
