Migrant workers leave for UP in 30 buses from Jhajjar, Jind

Nearly 931 migrant workers — 700 from Jhajjar and 231 from Jind — left for Uttar Pradesh in 30 Haryana roadways buses on Saturday.

Around 700 workers from Jhajjar were sent to Shamli cluster in Uttar Pradesh in 30 buses, while 126 migrant labourers left for Shamli from Jind in four buses. However, 105 workers departed for Saharnpur from Jind in three buses.

Jhajjar deputy commissioner Jitender Kumar said that as many as 700 migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh’s fourteen districts had left for their native places.

“A total of 8,000 migrant workers had registered themselves on the government portal and we have been sending them back. We will send 1,200 migrant workers to Bihar by a special Shramik train starting from Rohtak on Sunday. All these workers were involved in agriculture-related activities”, Kumar added.

The migrant workers boarded the buses after undergoing a medical check-up at shelter homes.

Meanwhile, after a Shramik Special train from Bhiwani was cancelled twice, as many as 1,198 migrant labourers (486 from Bhiwani and 712 from Dadri) finally left for Bihar from Bhiwani in a special train at 11.30am on Saturday.

Anil Marandi, a migrant labourer from Bihar’s Purnia district, said that after the Railways had cancelled their train on two occasions, he had given up hope.

“I was a daily wage earner here but due to the lockdown was unable to earn any money. I don’t have any option other than going home. I will come back after the situation improves,” he added.

Surender Lal Sharma, a construction worker from Katihar, said that he had come to Bhiwani before the lockdown to work at a construction site.

“Now, I will have to go back home without having earned any money”, he added.

RETURNING HOME WITHOUT MONEY A CHALLENGE

Amid the happiness of being able to return home, the migrants are upset to be going back with empty pockets.

As many as 342 migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh left for their home from a Karnal-based relief camp in 11 Haryana Roadways buses on Saturday.

Most of them alleged that the factory owners that they worked for had not paid their salaries.

“This is the worst year of our lives as we are returning home without any money in our pockets”, said Sachin Kumar, a migrant labourer from Partapgarh of UP.

“Yahan to sab theek hai, par wahan kya khayenge (Everything was fine here at the shelter home but what we will there)?” he wondered.

Another migrant labourer from Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh, who had returned from Ludhiana, said, “I will never go to Punjab as the owner of a bicycle manufacturing unit did not pay me my 21 days’ salary,” he added.

Similarly, a middle-aged labourer who worked in a hosiery manufacturing unit in Ludhiana said, “The owner of my factory refused to pay my salary and we were forced to leave without any money and I reached Karnal on foot”.

THOSE CROSSING BORDER TO BE KEPT AT SHELTER HOMES

A day after several migrant labourers at the Ambala-Patiala (Shambhu) border, who had come to Ambala from Punjab, were sent back by Haryana Police only to be refused entry by Punjab Police, Haryana home minister Anil Vij asked the administration to give them refuge at temporary shelter homes set up in Ambala.

On Friday, they were stopped by the Ambala police and sent back to the border, but the issue couldn’t be resolved with the Punjab Police despite the intervention of senior police officials and Ambala City MLA Aseem Goyal.

“I met minister Anil Vij and told him about the situation. He said that now onwards, all migrants crossing Ambala on their way back home will be given refuge at shelter homes and will soon be sent to their homes by buses and trains,” said Goyal.

SP Abhishek Jorwal said, “Many migrants who were stranded at the border along with a few who were trying to cross the district on Saturday were brought to shelter homes already set up here.”