BENGALURU: As the exodus of migrant labourers continued on Tuesday, threatening to upturn plans to kickstart the economy, the state government moved to apply the brakes on their movement. Besides halting trains carrying distressed migrants back to their homes in Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and other states, the government also suspended the Seva Sindhu app, in a bid to retain its workforce.
The app was launched just prior to Karnataka entering Lockdown 3.0. According to highly-placed sources, this was done to sustain the city’s economy. “We did what we thought is win-win for both the city’s economy and migrant workers,” a source said. On Tuesday, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa held a meeting with Real Estate Developers’ Associations, construction firms and industrial sector representatives to address the concerns of possible labour shortage in the coming days.
At a time when the state is hoping to revive economic activities, the mass exodus of labourers has come as a cause of concern. Associations agreed to pay wages to workers for the entire period of lockdown, and ensure all essential facilities, including safety gear, at workplaces. The government will also appoint ministers to hold talks with migrants and convince them to stay back.
“The Covid-19 situation in Karnataka is better compared to other states. We have to begin manufacturing, industries, construction etc in all regions except Red Zones. We will take all measures to curb unnecessary travel of labourers, ensure employment and wages for all workers. Builders have also assured that all facilities, including lodging, food and wages will be given to them,” Yediyurappa said. He appealed to migrant workers not to pay heed to rumours or return to their villages and towns. “Labourers will continue to get work in the same places where they were working.
Instead of rushing back, they should resume work,” he added. Sources stated that the majority of stranded migrants are construction workers. As per state government data, around 5,000 workers registered through the Seva Sindhu portal, while 9,000 passengers have already been transported via special trains as of Tuesday. “The passengers who were sent on trains were not registered. Several left earlier too,” a senior officer working with the state Covid-19 team told TNIE.
Earlier, the city police had stated that the department is not carrying out the registration of migrant workers. “We are collecting their details for our own data purposes. It has nothing to do registration,” a senior police officer said. However, another senior official explained that the police are involved in the selection process, and the information was being collected to select and understand the urgency o f the cases.