Virus outbreak leaves migrants jobless
KOCHI: Sound of sewing machines used to fill Ahamed Siddique’s relatively large garment-producing unit, but what welcomes one there now are a pile of sacks with readymade clothes stuffed into them. The tailor from Bhawanipur in West Bengal is among the many migrant labourers who have been rendered jobless by COVID-19. Struggling to make both ends meet, Siddique and many other labourers from other parts of the country are planning to return to their homelands.
“Many of my co-workers have already left. Our work has gone down considerably. We used to get bulk orders from textile shops in the city but now, with fewer customers, they are not keen on any purchase,” said Siddique.Debjit Majumder, a supplier at a restaurant, echoed the sentiment as he plans to return by the end of this month. “Many of my family members have been working here, but we don’t feel any point in staying back. Forget savings, we’re struggling to earn money for even our daily expenses” said the 27-year-old.
The state government’s multi-lingual precaution campaign has made many migrant workers aware of the situation, said Shamsuddheen K M, who runs a hotel in Kochi. “Most of the service industries have employed migrant labourers in large numbers. Many suppliers and chefs in hotels are from West Bengal. Half of the total strength has already left for their native places. If the situation continues like this, things will lead to a total shutdown,” he said.
Experts feel workers may be aware of the situation, but panic has not set in. “There won’t be any mass exodus until there is a complete shutdown or the state government adopts very stringent measures,” said Kochi-based think-tank Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development’s executive director Benoy Peter.
He said Tamil migrant workers are the most vulnerable to novel coronavirus.
National Health Mission (NHM) officials are also keeping a tab on the situation. “It’s quite natural for them to return to their home states in times of crisis. We’re conducting awareness campaigns through migrant-link workers to alleviate their fears as most of them are not really aware of the gravity of the issue. Though the situation hasn’t worsened into a community spread, we ensure that they are taking basic precautionary measures,” said NHM Ernakulam district project manager Mathew Nambelil.
MIGRANT EXODUS
25 lakh is the approximate migrant worker population in the state
6 lakh of them work in different parts of Ernakulam district