KOCHI: When Rojin VM, a driver and tourist guide, grabbed the opportunity to ferry migrant labourers to West Bengal in one of the funky buses, it was not just the good money on offer amid the miserable lockdown that attracted him, but also his passion to see new places. But the 39-year-old was in for a bigger surprise on his way from Perumbavoor to Murshidabad — hundreds of similar high-end buses from across Kerala engaged in a similar mission. Rojin, who returned from his trip last week, said he saw many buses from Kerala on the roads -- in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and West Bengal -- either going to drop migrants working in Kerala to various districts in Bengal or returning after the task.
For the bus owners, it is a dream deal during these troubled times.
They are charging between Rs 2.25 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh per trip, accommodating 26-30 passengers on each bus --- which means around Rs 8,000 per passenger. Even at a conservative estimate of 1,000 trips to Bengal so far, simple math shows the migrant workers have pumped in Rs 22 crore to the local economy since the start of the lockdown.
With Covid-19 cases going up once again in Kerala, the pressure on the migrants from their families to get back seems to be high. With monsoon arriving and the images of back-to-back floods still fresh in their minds, the workers, especially those in the construction sector, know they will not lose much in terms of working days for 3-4 months even if they leave. And they are making their journey a pleasure trip. They believe travelling by buses is a much safer option than the Shramik trains.
Rojin, who has a passion for driving, earned Rs 17,000 for the single trip. He is ready for a second trip as he is not going to be busy in his first job — as a tourist guide in Kochi — for at least three months. “They work for Rs 1,000/day in Kerala, but gave me Rs 2,500 in tips,” said Rojin, impressed with the gesture of migrant workers.
Tripunithura-based Ganga Travels has made two trips to West Bengal so far. Its owner Binu John said bus operators are charging a premium on the trips as they also arrange for necessary permissions. The workers have to be taken to the local primary health centres for medical certificate.
“In my estimate, more than 1,000 buses have taken workers from Perumbavoor to Bengal alone,” he said.
After spending Rs 95,000 for diesel, Rs 35,000 for two drivers and Rs 5,000 as toll fees, a bus owner must have pocketed anywhere between Rs 75,000-Rs 90,000 per trip.
‘Train fare to Murshidabad on higher side’
The ticket charge — Rs 8,000 to Murshidabad — is on the higher side, according to the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development founder and executive director Benoy Peter. Further, the operators know the workers are desperate to get back home. With the onset of monsoon, which means no work, most migrant workers saw no reason to stay back, he said. Benoy said about 40 per cent of the migrant workers in Kerala are from Bengal, of which a majority come from one district — Murshidabad.
Rojin said many migrant workers who he interacted with told him that they would return to Kerala in two months. Sajeesh, a representative of Angamaly-based Sishira Travels, which took 25 migrant workers to Bengal recently, said they charged only Rs 6,000 per traveller as most of them were not in a good financial position.
Rojin has another reason to be happy — how people he interacted with in Bengal felt about Kerala. “When the situation becomes normal, we can expect every migrant labourer to return with another 2-3 new workers,” he said.