Daringbadi: At least 30 labourers of Daringbadi area in Kandhamal district, who had been stranded in flood-hit Ernakulam, one of the worst affected areas in Kerala, said they are safe. After the floodwaters began to recede from Sunday, family members of the labourers breathed a sigh of relief after they got the phone calls of their kin. The labourers said they were safe and expressed wish to return home.
They demanded the administration extend help to them and get them back here. When contacted, Daringbadi additional tehsildar Sunil Kumar Pradhan said a list of the labourers from Kandhamal district was prepared and submitted to the District Collector.
Steps are being taken to bring them back home safely, he added. Meanwhile, the state government has sent special trains to bring back the stranded labourers. According to family members, around 30 labourers of Simanbadi and Rutungia panchayats under Baliguda block were engaged in pineapple cultivation, tyre companies and house construction works.
Many of them are now left with no belongings except for the clothes they are wearing, they told their family members. Recalling the plight, the labourers said they had to seek shelter in a house without food and water for days until rescue team reached them.
The travelling of the labourers to their workplace has become more difficult now. Mud, filth and plastic have filled the entire area with the house walls cracked and furniture broken.
“We returned to our workplace, only to find mud and broken things. All our belongings have been washed away in the floodwaters. Now, the threat of the disease looms large. We want to return home until things become normal,” said a labourer.
“There are more chances of rainfall once again. So, we want them to return home and want the administration to take steps to get them back safely,” locals said.
PNN