Bhawanipatna: The Centre and state government have framed various rules and schemes apart from spending crores from the exchequer for the benefit of migrant labourers.
However, despite these measures, the vicious circle continues and woes of migration refuse to cease in Kalahandi district. Poor and gullible residents of Kalahandi district continue to migrate to other states in search of livelihood but their dreams often get shattered.
They are made to work in inhospitable conditions even when they are suffering from severe diseases. Such inhuman torture and neglect are the causes behind their untimely deaths. The problem of migration is most acute in Lanjigarh, Kalampur, Dharmagarh, Koksara blocks where hundreds migrate to other states to work as migrant labourers.
The situation has come to such a pass that labourers from Kalahandi migrate to other states and later their bodies return to their homes. Bodies of as many as 12 migrant labourers hailing from Kalampur block have been returned to their families during the last four months. Moreover, three among the deceased died only this week.
Such tragedies speak volumes about the bane of migration prevailing in the district. However, the district administration is yet to take note of the issue and take steps to check migration and provide livelihood facilities to the labourers near their villages.
While migrant labourers of Kalampur block prefer Bangalore for migration, their counterparts in Lanjigarh usually choose Hyderabad as their destination. A team led by Town police station SI Diptikant Barik rescued 13 migrant labourers from a worksite in Tamil Nadu after a video of them being held hostage in the southern state went viral on social media platforms.
On the other hand, what has surprised many is that the district administration was clueless about the number of labourers migrating outside the state. An official Subhash Chandra Mandal of the district labour office said that they do not have any details about the migrant labourers as they do not register their names in the office while leaving for other states.
It was found that the district labour office also lacked the details of the labour agents who have valid license for labour supply. The district labour department is busy in conducting awareness programmes only and has not done much to address the real problem, local intelligentsia said.
PNN