Kendrapara: Thousands of migrant workers returned homes during lockdowns due to the COVID pandemic in various parts of Kendrapara. For lack of scope for work in the district, most of them, particularly youths are reportedly bracing up for return to their workplaces in other states, a report said.
Taking advantage of this situation, middlemen and labour contractors have started luring the migrant workers of this district to other states at this time when the pandemic situation is worsening.
This is evident from the fact that some middlemen had made a bid to take migrant workers at Singiri under Aul block September 11.
Five middlemen had illegally organized a job fair September 11 when police conducted a raid at the place and arrested the five. Over 1,500 youths took part in the fair with hope of getting jobs in other states.
It may be noted here that thousands of migrant workers having expertise in plumbing are working in various parts of the country. After pandemic struck, they had to face loss of jobs, money and food and the fear of an uncertain future due to the lockdown.
Locals alleged that due to erratic rainfall and floods, agriculture has been badly affected while job scope for the youths is thin in the district. In this situation, there is no way out but go outside in search of jobs, it is said.
Kailash Mallick of Hatia village said, ”Kendrapara district is based on agrarian economy, but necessary infrastructure has not been put in place to carry on farming. The migrants have no hope of availing earning from agriculture sector.”
He also added that around half per cent of the farmlands in the district lacks irrigation and water management system.
“Scores of migrant has come home due to lockdown and had raised paddy with their savings and loans, but floods washed away their hopes. In this situation, survival is important,” he lamented.
Mallick has decided to send his 23-year old son to Kerala to earn for the family at this crisis times.
Many others pointed out there are no job opportunities at native places. They had left their workplaces because of fear of the coronavirus. Since March, most of the migrants have been coping with financial crunch.
There is shortage of labourers in the textile industry in Surat and other parts.
Others observed that given the growing expenses, surviving on the agriculture produce is too difficult.
Subhendu Kumar Choudhary, a resident of Aul Gobindapur, said, ”Though most youths are educated, they see no future in the district. The district has no industrial and mining sector. To supplement the family income, youths have to go to Kerla and Gujarat.”
Pratap Kumar Mohanty, an intellectual, said that Collector Samarth Verma had announced a registration of plumbers about a year ago. A database of the plumbers at the panchayat level was to be made.
“But the administration has not shown much interest to carry forward the survey. The pandemic has provided a good chance to identify plumbers who have returned home,” he observed.
It is said that over a lakh of migrants have returned home during the lockdown, but only 60,055 of them have registered their names at the administration.
A database can be made from this registration while details of the left out migrants can be done later at the panchayat level.
Mohanty claimed that of 15 lakh population in the district, three lakhs are migrant workforce.
Collector Samarth Verma said that a database of the workers has been prepared. The district labour department has formed a panchayat level committee while village committees will accelerate the identification of the migrant labourers, he added.
PNN