Kendrapara: It was celebration time for the villagers of Kolatira in this block Thursday as youths who were stranded in flood-affected Ernakulam district in Kerala, returned home. The families of the youths greeted them with tears of happiness in their eyes.
As many as 14 youths of Kolatira village who went to Kerala for a living returned Thursday morning to their village.
They included Prasant Mallick, Hrushikesh Mohanty, Prakash Mohanty, Subashis Mohanty, Kartika Mallick, Ranjan Kumar Biswal, Tukuna Mallick, Guria Mallick, Raja Mallick, Jitendra Mallick, Basant Mallick, Susant Mallick, Gobinda Mallick and Narayan Mallick.
Hrushikesh Mohanty said, “Around 22 youths of our village migrated to Ernakulam to work at the Perumbavoor-based Sahara Plywoods. We used to get around Rs 14,000 to Rs 16,000 per month.”
They faced problems August 14 at around 2 am after water inundated their locality. About 15 of them managed to reach safer places in the morning of August 15.
But soon they realised that they were not safe in the two-storied building as water level touched the first floor. So, they left the building and reached a camp in Ernakulum. They remained starved most of the time in the relief camp. They had to manage with a bottle of water due to scarcity of drinking water, said Prasant Kumar Mallick.
“We stayed at the relief camp for five days, but later we were asked to leave. Though we took shelter in a bus stand, locals asked to vacate the place. We came to know that our government has sent a special train to bring back Orissa people. We later managed to get into the train and returned home,” said Kartika Mallick.
“People from Odisha faced humiliation and ill treatment from locals there,” alleged Kartika Mallick.
“We contacted the company owner and sought his help. But he refused to give our salary, saying he lost crores of rupees in the flood. Thanks to the state government for bringing us back,” said Jitendra Mallick, another Kerala returnee.
They do not know whether they would return to Kerala as the devastation is so huge in the plywood industry that it may take years to overcome, said the victims.
Although some of the youths came back by train to the state four to five youths who were working in another plywood company are waiting to get their salaries from their owner, it was learnt.
The families who were spending sleepless nights after they failed to communicate with their children last week seemed happy after their home coming.
“I would not send my son to work in another state again,” said Sukanti Mallick, the mother of Kartika Mallick.
PNN
