Khaprakhol: Their pursuit for livelihood has taken them far away from their homeland, but their travails have only earned them brutality and exploitation.
The plight of migrant workers seems nowhere to end soon after cases of extreme brutalities are coming to the fore almost every day.
While many have lost their lives in the hands of their employers, many have been left crippled for life, thanks to lack of proper awareness and political negligence.
A glaring example is the plight of Nilima, a minor girl of Jhankarpali village under Bhanpur panchayat of this block in the bonded labour-prone Bolangir district and her visually-challenged grandmother.
Nilima (15) had lost her mother from a very tender age. She used to live with her father Sushil Bhoi (42) and ailing sexagenarian grandmother.
After being lured by a middleman, Sushil along with Nilima had gone to work at a brick-kiln in Telangana October, 2017. Unfortunately, Sushil died in a mishap in the work place, leaving behind the girl alone.
With no help from the employer, the minor girl hardly could do anything to bring back the body. Later, with the help of some well-wishers, she managed to return home.
The girl who had already lost her mother since childhood also had to lose her father. Now, she is living with her visually-impaired grandmother Upasi Bhoi (72), with no one to take care of them.
Her only hope of survival is her grandmom’s old age pension of Rs 300 and five kilograms of rice availed under National Food Security Scheme (NFSA).
Though Nilima is not eligible to get the rice under the food security scheme, she herself and her grandmother fulfill their appetite with only five kilograms of rice.
The rest of the month, they survive with whatever locals provide them out of sympathy. Adding to their woes, though her father died in Telangana, she was even deprived to get her father’s death certificate. Also the district administration has no information about the same.
When contacted, Khaprakhol community development officer Tarani Suna claimed ignorance over the matter.
“If the family is undergoing through tribulations, we will surely extend a helping hand after taking stock of the situation,” Suna said.
In another ghastly incident, a migrant labourer from Boudh district was reportedly stoned to death by his friend over some dispute in Mumbai last night. The Mumbai police have detained the accused, identified as Indramani Bhoi.
According to reports, the victim was sleeping in his rented house when Indramani stoned him and stabbed him with a knife, leading to his death on the spot. While the exact reason behind the incident was yet to be known, it is suspected that Indramani committed the crime over a past rivalry.
The victim was working as a daily wager with the JP Infra, Mumbai, said reports.
PNN