Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Apr 27: Out of the migrant workers from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, who returned to their hometowns last year after the lockdown was announced by foot or by travelling in different vehicles, only 35 per cent have returned to work here. The district administration, therefore, has a huge job of retaining the workers currently engaged in different works, in these districts.

About 5,000 of them are engaged in MRPL while 3,500 more are in the Baikampady Industrial Area. Their current jobs are reasonably secure and therefore the chances of them going back are remote. But the same cannot be said about the migrant workers who are working in large scale projects including construction under the current adverse conditions, as they face various problems.

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Realizing the seriousness of this exodus, the deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada held a meeting with leaders of CREDAI, Kanara Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Small Scale Industries Association, and other organizations and asked them to provide proper shelter and other supplementary facilities to the migrant workers. He also asked the officials to arrange for vaccinating the migrant workers at their respective places of work.

As the district administration is keen on providing facilities to them, the workers may not face a lot of problems. But the places of their work are different from the places where they stay. Therefore they are likely to face transportation problem. Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh state leader, Vishwanath Shetty, says that the district administration and contractors have to keep this in mind.

As per the statistics of the district administration, 30,428 migrant workers had returned to other states from Dakshina Kannada in trains while 13,000 left by buses. Perhaps a similar number of people returned by making their own arrangements. As per an estimate, about 80,000 workers from other districts and states were working here before the onset of coronavirus.

Mainly workers from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, Bihar and Chhattisgarh had made the district their home. Even when the normal life was nearing restoration, the job opportunities had not returned to the previous level. Therefore, real estate suffered and several industries reduced production. Some companies which were operated three shifts a day resorted to two or a single shift now.