KURNOOL: Migrations from the drought-hit Adoni and Kurnool revenue divisions have started once again. Following good rainfall in the last season and due to the Covid-19 pandemic, migration of agricultural labourers, small and landless farmers to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Bellary, Chennai and Guntur from Kurnool district came to a halt. They used to work as construction workers in cities and as farm workers in chilli fields.
According to an estimate, 10,000 worker families from Kosigi, Mantralayam, Nandavaram, Kowthalam, Aspari, Devanakonda, Alur, Peddakadubur, Pathikonda, Chippagiri, Halaharvi, Belagal, Kodumur and Gonegandla mandals have already migrated to other places in search of livelihood.H Hussani, an unemployed graduate from Arlabanda in Kosigi mandal, said about 100 families from his village migrated to Hyderabad and Guntur in the last 10 days.
They started leaving the village in trucks arranged by contractors who engaged them for work, Hussani said, adding that he has decided to go to Guntur in search of livelihood.Madhu of Pothigallu in Krishnagiri mandal, said about 20 people of his village migrated to Sangareddy in Telangana due to lack of farm work as agricultural operations were hit by inadequate rainfall this season. Standing crops in several places in the two revenue divisions have withered due to inadequate rainfall, rendering farm workers jobless. The area under cultivation came down to 85,000 hectares from 92,387 hectares this Kharif season.
According to official sources, the district received an average rainfall of 76.60 mm as against normal rainfall of 135 mm in August. In September, it recorded an average rainfall of 70.70 mm as against the normal rainfall of 125.70 mm. In October, an average rainfall of 82.50 mm was recorded as against the normal rainfall of 114.50 mm. The earnings of villagers under the NREGA are inadequate to meet their ends due to spiralling prices of essential commodities. Hence, a majority of people of the drought-affected villages are forced to migrate to other places in search of livelihood, Madhu said.
The migration of people from Adoni and Kurnool divisions is likely to go up after Diwali. Speaking to TNIE, Joint Collector Manazir Jeelani Samoon said he directed district officials to provide employment to all wage seekers in the drought affected villages under the NREGS to check migrations. The government has issued job cards to 5,88,552 families in the district under the NREGS covering 11,58,249 people. But a majority of job card holders are not utilising the employment guarantee scheme as they are of the view that the daily wage of Rs 245 is inadequate.