KOCHI: State police chief Loknath Behera on Sunday sought to put panic-stricken migrant labourers in the state at ease by assuring them they were safe here and were free to contact him if they felt the police had let them down on their complaints.
To drive his point home, Behera spoke in Hindi while addressing the migrant labourers during ‘Solution 2017’, the mass contact programme organised by the district administration to allay the fear of migrant population in the wake of rumours that they were being attacked in the state.
“A solid administrative system is in place in the state. You are free to approach the District Collector or the police for a solution any time without any hesitation. If you feel that the police have let you down on your complaint, you are free to contact me. You have the support of an entire state and need not panic on hearing baseless rumours.
A well-equipped government machinery is always ready to help you, which is evident from the fact that government officers from various departments and the District Collector have reached here on a holiday just to meet you,” Behera said amid huge applause from over 2,000 migrants who assembled at the auditorium of the Perumbavoor Girls’ Higher Secondary School for the programme.
Inaugurating the programme, Behera said the state police would ensure the security of the migrant people working in the state. “There is no need to panic about the rumours being spread through the social media against migrants. If anyone is subjected to any form of violence, it should be reported to the police immediately and strict action will be taken against the culprits. Kerala is one of the progressive states in the country, where anyone can choose his job, language, and food according to his wish,” he said.
Further, the best healthcare in the country is available in Kerala and steps are being initiated to take action on complaints of exploitation by employer and wage denials, he said. In the event of fake rumours, the migrants have been told to approach the police and know the veracity of the affairs. In case, they had to come across with any kind of misbehaviour on the part of the police, they should approach senior police officers, the DGP said.
Ernakulam District Collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla, who organised the mass contact programme, said Kerala is a migrant-friendly state. The state government has chalked out several programmes like free medical care for migrants. Also, education projects like ‘Roshni’ are being implemented at the district level.
This is the second time the district administration has organised the mass contact programme for the migrants in the district, which has the highest concentration of migrant population in the state. The administration had also organised a grievance redressal adalat at Perumbavoor on July 30 this year.
As many as 32 counters were set up at the mass contact programme venue to address various issues faced by the migrant population, including employment-related complaints, facility to take Aadhaar and PAN cards, bank accounts, and health camp. Around 14 counters were set up for registration purpose alone. The medical counters set up at the health camp conducted the primary diagnosis of the diseases and suggested detailed inspection.
The health camp was jointly organised by the National Health Mission, IMA and District Medical Office. The district administration had taken various steps to inform the migrants about the mass contact programme organised for them through various media.
Assistant Collector Isha Priya, Aluva rural SP A V George, ADM M K Kabeer, Regional Joint Labour Commisioner K Sreelal, District Information Officer Nijas Jewel, District Labour Officer Muhammed Siyad, Rajagiri Outreach migrant security project manager Swapna Raj, field officer Jansi, Muvattupuzha RDO Shajahan and officers from various departments took part in the programme.
Encouraging turnout
Kochi: A total of 2,282 migrant labourers registered at the mass contact programme organised for them at Perumbavoor on Sunday. Of the total workers, 926 enrolled for Aadhaar. Six complaints were received in connection with their respective fields of work. A total of 389 registered members opened accounts, while 318 took part in the medical camp.