Kendrapara: Migration to other states for work has acquired serious proportions in Kendrapara district due to extreme climatic conditions hampering agriculture and lack of livelihood opportunities. Moreover, with income from agriculture dipping due to vagaries of climate, lack of irrigation facilities and other reasons, people are increasingly resorting to migration to earn a livelihood. The matter came to the fore after buses from Kerala and other states were seen camping in Aul, Pattamundai, Rajnagar, Rajkanika, Mahakalapara and other blocks to ferry the migrants back to their workplaces in their respective states. The buses had arrived in these areas before the start of Diwali and were seen ferrying the migrants even before the festival could end.
Scores of migrants who had come home to participate in the festivals were seen boarding buses to their workplaces. This is indicative of the acute unemployment problem plaguing Kendrapara which is predominantly an agricultural district. Sudarshan Rout, a native of Satabhaya panchayat under Rajnagar block said that farmlands are now left uncultivated and fallow as people are withdrawing from agriculture due to lack of any support system. The district neither has any mine nor industries to support them. Similarly, the district also lacks employment opportunities.
Over 57,000 graduates and technically qualified youths have registered their names in the district employment office but they are yet to get any jobs. This has prompted the youths to migrate to other states and earn a livelihood for their families. These are not only the words of Sudarshan but that of many youths who were seen boarding the bus for Kerala. Bharat Behera, also from Satabhaya, said that all the seven villages in the panchayat have been washed away into sea due to rapid erosion of the coast.
Over 571 families of these villages were rehabilitated at Bagapatia. Every family in Satabhaya has lost their farmlands to the sea. The food stocks provided by the government lasts only for a fortnight while the rest 15 days they have to earn to feed themselves and their families. The price rise of essential commodities is also impacting them. Hence, they are migrating to other states to earn better to meet their expenses, he said. Sarojkanta Swain of Gupti works in a plywood company at Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district of Kerala. He comes home before Ganesh Puja every year and goes back to his workplace after attending Lakshmi Puja and Kali puja festival. He said that vagaries of climate always plays truant for agriculture while there is lack of any government support to tide over the crisis.
Moreover, lack of any industries is also prompting the youths to migrate to Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Surat. The company has sent buses as there are more workers from the district working in Kerala. He said that why would they travel for over 2,000 km to work if there was opportunity to work in the district. Jagannath Das, a senior resident of Rajnagar area said over 60 buses have come here to ferry the migrants to Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Surat after puja. These migrants are working at various plywood, cotton mills and pisciculture units in these states.
Most of the youths after appearing their Class-X examination are leaving for other states. Women and minor girls are also going outside the state. A private agency has estimated that over 51 per cent of the families living in Rajnagar, Mahakalapara, Aul, Pattamundai and Rajkanika blocks have migrated outside the state for work.
Many times their share of harassment and torture in their workplace hogs the headlines. This problem can be resolved if small, medium industries could be established in the district and farmers can be taught to cultivate climate-resistant crops, he added