Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (HB)

Karkala, May 31: As many as 36 stranded migrants labourers of Jharkhand were sent home on Saturday, May 30 under the leadership of Karkala police and Udupi district administration.

Due to the nationwide lockdown, 36 youths had been stranded in Udupi. They were disturbed as they were unemployed and had not received wages since March.

Speaking to Daijiworld, first division officer Kishore said, "We came to know on Saturday that a bus was being arranged for Jharkhand. Around six youths agreed to board the bus, while the rest declined the offer as they were waiting for their pending salary of two months from their employers amid the economic crisis. The migrants turned down the option to travel by bus scheduled to depart at 3.30 pm. Therefore, we met the employers and urged them to pay the pending sum to the migrants. Fortunately, after a lengthy discussion, the employers agreed to pay the workers a partial amount."

Soon after, the police contacted additional deputy commissioner B Sadashiv Prabhu to convey the circumstances of the migrant workers. With Prabhu's help, a bus was arranged to Bengaluru, from where they would take a train to their home state. The bus departed from Udupi to Bengaluru at 10.30 pm on Saturday.

The stranded migrants were between 20-30 years of age. Some of them were engaged in agriculture work, while others in construction work. As the migrants were unable to fend for themselves, dinner for them was made available at Indira Canteen in Udupi. Health checkups at Karkala were conducted before allowing them to travel, along with providing them with some money. Once they reach Bengaluru, a train has been arranged to ferry them to Jharkhand.