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The Karnataka government decided to resume trains for migrant workers stranded in the state, after facing strong criticism from unions, civil society groups and the opposition Congress. Despite the U-turn, the decision to prevent migrants from leaving the state has refocused on the darkest part of Bangalore’s “Silicon City” booming economy and how vulnerable it is without migrant workers.
Karnataka seemed to have woken up to the migrant worker crisis, perhaps after the Mumbai and Delhi episodes, in which thousands of migrant workers returned to their places of origin in northern India.
Representative image. PTI
Karnataka government authorities first identified the workers, around a lakh in numbers spread across the city, and then took action. She distributed food packages and many of them were placed in marriage rooms as short-term measures.
Subsequently, he held talks with Indian Railways and planned to send these workers to their home states. As a result, hundreds of workers from states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand made use of the facility, while several thousand migrant workers from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region were sent to their places of origin via buses. Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation.
A crisis-like situation arose when more and more workers, mainly from northern India, began to move towards the city’s railway stations to obtain scheduled trains for their home states.
One of those lots, made up of nearly 6,000 workers hired by a gutka factory near Tumakuru, arrived in Bangalore and camped near the Bangalore International Exhibition Center, 20 kilometers from the city’s central business district. By then, however, the trains had stopped. This led to a tone and cry as opposition Congressional leaders began issuing statements criticizing the government’s “inhuman” attitude toward a genuine problem.
To raise public awareness, former Minister and Leader of Congress Krishna Byre Gowda had posted a video of these workers walking down the Ballari highway. In the video clip, they were seen speaking: “We are from Uttar Pradesh. We want to return to our native place. Let’s take a walk “.
Gowda told this journalist that it was inhumane to refrain from these workers going to their places of origin.
“You can consult the dictionary and discover for yourself the meaning of bonded labor. The government has encouraged bonded labor, which is illegal and inhumane. What is wrong with organizing transportation facilities so that they (migrant workers) can go to their places of origin and return after two or three months? I ask.
The crisis forced unions to take the club, and many of them staged a virtual protest on Twitter, posting their photos seeking justice for these migrant workers.
Workers, a dark womb of a vibrant economy.
The social profile of migrant workers and the modus operandi of the labor industry in Bengaluru is a disturbing story, which is never discussed as part of its proud economic activity.
Depending on the origin of this workforce, there are two groups of workers. One group includes thousands of people from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, mainly from the Kalaburgi, Yadgir, Koppal and Bidar districts, who come to work in the construction industry in the city of Bengaluru. Many of them, despite having small land holdings, are unable to cultivate the second crop on their agricultural land located in the arid agroclimatic region on the northeast side of the state. They are not trained in any of the city’s economic activities and therefore prefer to work in the construction industry, where they can use their male power to compensate for the skills required for the construction industry.
The second group comes from northern India, and they are semi-skilled. For example, people in Rajasthan take tile laying work contracts, while those in Gorakhpur of Uttar Pradesh and its surroundings prefer to do painting work. There are two categories between West Bengal and North East. A section of workers from this region works in “Chinese kitchens”, while a large group works in cleaning.
The workers felt the COVID-19 crisis when the agencies that hired them failed to pay. Neither agency agreed to register to discuss their business for the article.
A North Indian who runs a contract workers agency of more than 600 says: “Many of the companies and industries that obtained our services made no payments during this blockade. But I paid my workers for a month. “
Another businessman also echoed a similar opinion and said: “I hold Rs 500 per person per month of the contract amount. When I don’t get funds from commercial houses, how can I pay them?
There appears to be no robust data on how many recruitment agencies work in Bangalore.
Tekendra Thapa, a Nepalese worker working in the exclusive Koramangala area, also felt the pinch, but not to the extent that many other jobs have. He has been assigned to a bank cleaning staff.
“I prepare food in my room,” says Thapa.
When asked if he wanted to go home, he said: “No sir. There are no transportation facilities, so it doesn’t bother me. “
Thapa came to Bangalore seven years ago just because her uncle is here. Similarly, Johorulam, who is from Tripura, works as a security guard. He also landed in the city a few years ago because some people from his hometown were already “settled” here.
“For the past 40 days, I had lunch downstairs where a local group served food. Now Ramadan has started, so I prepare my food in the evening, ”he said.
When people like Thapa and Johorulam arrive in Bangalore, they approach job recruitment agencies to look for work. Since many of them are in the 18-22 age group and have no previous experience in any field, they are exploited by agencies and shipped as cleaning or security personnel who may not need any specific skills. It is almost clear that these workers were on the receiving end when the agencies that hired them turned their backs on them.
By passing the money on to business houses / industries that failed to make payments, recruiting agencies disappeared from the scene rather than helping workers. Did the end work? The workers suffered. These agencies will be reactivated after the closure and since there is no strong regulatory mechanism, they will do “business as usual”.
Government changes its position
Karnataka’s revenue minister, R Ashok, who had negotiated peace with the workers at the gutka factory, has a different point of view. He denies that the state government has prevented migrant workers from going to their places of origin.
“Mention that our government is ready to send them back. We will not stop them, ”he says.
When asked how the 6,000-person workforce was convinced three days ago, Ashok said: “We told them that even if they return, they will be quarantined for two weeks. We gave them food kits that will keep them for 45 days. I spoke to the factory owner, who agreed to pay the salary immediately. They agreed and came back. “
So why did the Karnataka government suddenly stop the trains?
Government sources revealed that the states from which these people come have refused to recover them. They fear, these people, by landing there, can worsen the coronavirus problem.
“I would like to ask my friends in Congress to convince the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamta Banerjee, to take away the people of her state. She made it clear that she would not recover the Bengalis who work outside at this juncture. We will send trains if she agrees, ”Ashok said.
The author is a primary journalist and political commentator, based in Bangalore.
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