When a group of 250 workers from the district, skilled in cutting sugarcane, left for Pudukottai district in Tamil Nadu to work in the fields, little did they anticipate about the crisis that has now crippled the world.
Leaving behind family members here, these workers went to Gandarvakottai in 13 batches with their contractor in February to make money.
“Just as we were close to completing the back-breaking work, the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus was announced,” recalled a worker, J. Irimaiah, over phone.
Usually, they return to their hometowns by March-end or in the first week of April. Stranded for a month now, these workers anxiously wait for the lockdown to end. “We are now counting our days to return to our homes in Yerragondapalem and reunite with families,” said a worker, Kumari, who is hoping that the lockdown is not extended further. “Some of us have exhausted whatever little money we had earned by the time the first phase of the lockdown was over,” Irimaiah said. These workers are paid between ₹700 and ₹900 for cutting a tonne of sugarcanes.
“Every year, we used to visit the farms in Gondarvakottai Taluk for cutting sugarcane as we do not have any work to do in drought-hit Prakasam district,” says a worker Malleswari, who along with fellow workers used to work in the farm from dawn to dusk every day till completion of harvest.
After trying in vain to return to Andhra Pradesh, these workers have now sought help of Prakasam District Legal Services Authority(DLSA). DLSA Chairperson P.Venkata Jyothirmayi has assured them of help and arranged for their stay and food at Manganur, after speaking with his counterpart in Tamil Nadu.
Workers from Prakasam stranded outside the State could call 15100 or 9440901058 for the DLSA to arrange them food and accommodation, according to the DLSA Chairperson, also Prakasam Principal District Judge.
