'We fear dying of hunger': Past imperfect, present tense, future uncertain for migrants

NEW DELHI: The azure sky, Covid-induced pollution-less air and spring winds should have lifted the spirits of Chameli Devi, a housekeeping staff member with a private company in Noida. But with a huge bag on her head and family in tow, she is sweating profusely. “We are headed to Lal Kuan in Ghaziabad where we hope to catch a bus to my village in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh,” Chameli said as she and her family boarded an e-rickshaw for Lal Kuan.

When told about the need to maintain social distancing in order to avoid getting infected by the deadly coronavirus, she said: “Corona se pehle bhookh se mar jayenge (We will die of hunger before corona kills us).”The firm in which she was working has closed owing to the lockdown and her employers told her to leave. Facing an uncertain future, Chameli has no option but to head home. 

At Lal Kuan, a highway junction on the Delhi-Meerut national highway, there at least 1,000 other migrant workers like Chameli. All of them have made a beeline for the junction in the hope of getting a bus or any other transport for their homes in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.Dharmesh Kumar bent forward with a heavy bag on his shoulder. He has come to Lal Kuan to catch a bus to his village in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh. 

“I worked as a labourer but now there is no work. With no income, I cannot buy ration to survive three months of lockdown,” he said. When told that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced only three weeks of closure, Kumar snapped back: “No it’s three months, everyone is saying it is three months.”
Roushan and Kapil are casual workers with construction companies in Greater Noida. They have decided that if they fail to get a bus, they will walk down to their village in Bhagalpur, Bihar, located about 700 kms away. The duo and some others have pooled in Rs1.20 lakh for the journey home. “In the past six days, no one came forward to help us.

Our employers sacked us immediately after the announcement of the lockdown. With the last remaining savings, we have to reach our village at any cost,” Roushan said. “If need be we will walk all the way or else we will die of hunger,” he added before walking away to look for a bus to Bihar. Police personnel at Lal Kuan guide the people to different directions where the buses, private and state-run, are stationed. All along the highway, volunteers have parked their cars to distribute packets of water, light meal and bananas to the migrants. Rajesh Kumar, a physically challenged unemployed man, looks for a bus going to Hardoi. His wife Savita is vocal about why they are leaving. 

“He doesn’t do anything, only stays at home. I work as a domestic maid but my employers have removed me. The government said ration would be provided but it is not within our reach. We don’t know how long this lockdown will continue,” Savita said. Sunil, an e-rickshaw driver, said: “We are all from Bihar. We lived here as tenants and work as daily wagers. The locals have grabbed all the ration, leaving nothing for us tenants.” The Delhi Police on Sunday dispersed hundreds of migrants who were converging at the inter-state bus terminals in a bid to return to their native places, as the Centre directed strict enforcement of the lockdown curbs to check the spread of coronavirus.

Govt sets up high-level panels
The government on Sunday constituted 11 empowered groups to suggest measures to ramp up healthcare, put the economy back on track and reduce misery of people as quickly as possible post 21-day lockdown imposed to contain coronavirus

Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter

• SHARE THIS
• TWEET THIS
• SHARE THIS
• E-mail