It was 8 pm on sunday, april 26. Amid sweltering heat, around 10 migrant workers, visibly tired and thirsty, stopped along National Highway 44 in telangana to look out for a truck or any vehicle that could ferry them. All of them are from kanpur district in Uttar Pradesh, aged between 25 and 40 years. They, along with 25 others, come to karimnagar in telangana every summer to make a living by selling ice-cream for two months. This year, however, things are different as they were left stranded with no means of income, shortly after arriving in the state.
Amid the lockdown, eager to go back home, they began walking on sunday morning after breakfast. Within a period of two mornings and two nights, they have managed to walk about 120 km.After a brief introduction, two of them reluctantly agree to speak. raj Kumar says, “We are heading to villages in Kanpur. We have to go either way no matter how long it takes. But if someone gives us lift, it will take us three days.”
There have been several reports about thousands of migrants dangerously walking back to their homes and native places in states like maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, rajasthan, odisha, and jharkhand, along the highways and railway tracks. Even a month after the lockdown, while the instances may have come down, it has not stopped. A Deputy Superintendent of police (DySP) rank officer said, “We are giving them counselling besides food and groceries, but they are desperate to go back to their native places.”Officials on the ground say that the workers' rush to go home is more psychological, than anything else, as they miss their families. telangana is the first state to announce welfare measures for migrant labourers. It has offered Rs 1,500 per family and Rs 500 per individual, besides providing 12 kg rice and other essentials.
