Bhubaneswar: Even as nearly five lakh migrant workers have registered themselves for their return to Odisha, many labourers stranded in Karnataka are facing a harrowing time as food and other essentials have eluded them.
According to sources, thousands of labourers are working as carpenters, security guards, plumbers, construction workers, waiters in restaurants and employees in supermarkets to earn a living.
These workers, who mainly belong to Cuttack, Kendrapara, Puri, Mayurbhanj and other districts, are staying in Bangalore and its nearby areas for many years. An estimated 10,000 Odia workers are staying in the different parts of Karnataka.
The labourers have been left to fend for themselves without food, notwithstanding the Karnataka government’s reiterations that food is being provided to everyone. The government has also said that there’s no need to leave the city.
The local authorities and volunteers are trying to register all Odia labourers, many are still left behind.
According to Mahendra Kumar Sethi, a resident of Bangalore and a volunteer, “We learnt that most of the migrants from Odisha are working as a daily wagers in several companies. However, most of the companies have not taken the responsibility of these labourers in such a critical situation. Work ended abruptly and many labourers are yet to receive their dues.”
Bandhu Patra, a member of Odisha Disaster Migration Mapping for Intervention (ODMMI), said, “We have been trying to reach out to the authorities for the last one week. A few NGOs are providing food to these people. The registration of all the labourers is still going on.”
Around 4,000 workers are staying In Krishnaiyyanapalya alone. “We are in constant talks with both the governments to make adequate provisions for everyone in distress,” Patra said.
Sushant Das, a Kendrapara resident who is working as a plumber in Krishnaiyyanapalya area of Bangalore, said, “Sometimes we do not get food and water.”
Das, who is staying with his family there, said, “There is no money left with me and salary is pending. Starvation is staring at us. The authorities are saying that we may go back to Odisha after May 3. Till then we are praying to God to survive,” he added.
Meanwhile, more than 35 labourers from Krushnaprasad block in Puri district are stuck in Bangalore due to lockdown. They have requested the Odisha government for their safe return to their native place. They were working in a private construction company.
They all have exhausted with the money making their survival difficult. They have expressed their misery through a video posted on Facebook and appealed to the Odisha government to bring them back.
Many youths belonging to Mayurbhanj district are working as security guards in Bangalore. They have also requested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Saraskana MLA to help them for their safe return as survival has become very difficult with most companies have downed their shutters long ago.