It was after a considerably long search for a job that Mufeed landed a marketing job with a private company in Osmanabad district in Maharashtra.
But, hardly a month into his training, with the COVID-19 outbreak happening, the company fired him and his fellow trainees, without any warning. Left without anywhere to go, the district administration rehabilitated 39 of them hailing from Kerala, in a school in Shingoli, where they have been staying for more than a month now.
With migrant guest workers from various places being taken back to their home States in trains over the past two days, the group is hoping to return to Kerala, where they feel they will be relatively safer. Among the group are engineering graduates, diploma holders and those who have completed skills training courses by the government. The 39 of them hail from eight districts across Kerala.
“Most of us had heard about this company – Delhi-based Glaze Trading India Private Limited – from our friends or seniors. Our batch was supposed to complete training and start the company’s marketing operations in Kerala. But, as soon as COVID-19 was reported, they left us in the lurch. On March 28, we had released a video describing our plight, when the district administration shifted us here and has been providing us food till then. We understand their limitations, but we don’t feel completely safe here. When two of us had fever, they were given paracetamol and no tests were carried out. A total of hundred people are staying in this school, with few others from other States too,” says Mufeed.
They have been trying to get in touch with people’s representatives back home, but with the lockdown in place, even they have been unable to help. Two days back, they registered with NoRKA Roots, expressing their wish to travel back home.
