KOCHI: Sameer Ali, a native of West Bengal and a worker at a hotel, reached Kochi three years ago. He has plans to return home as he is receiving phone calls from his friends working in Mumbai and New Delhi that they are heading back to their native place as governments are imposing lockdown-like curbs and they have lost their jobs.
“They were worried that they might get stuck if a lockdown is declared,” said Ali. Though he is a bit concerned, he has not taken a final call yet on his return journey as he had not left the city during the lockdown declared last year.
Ali’s case is not an isolated one. With the state government announcing restrictions in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases, the fear of getting stuck during another lockdown has gripped most of the migrant workers in the state and many have started heading home.
“A mass rush among migrant workers will not happen in Kerala. However, considering a possibility of lockdown they have started leaving considering Eid al-Fitr and harvest season. In Perumbavoor, the majority of workers belong to minority communities and they will leave during this season. Besides, workers from West Bengal and Assam had left to their native places to cast their votes and they would not return in the present situation,” said, Benoy Peter, executive director, Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID). However, he said that the majority of workers in Perumbavoor, which houses the state’s largest population of migrant workers, were baffled since the family members in their native places were anxious over the reports of lockdown.
Some migrant workers, especially those working in hotels, restaurants, and a section of footloose labourers, went home.According to Benoy, the state government had provided all assistance to migrant workers last year and this prevented their mass exodus from the state. Considering this, most of the workers will stay here as they know that it will not do any harm.
As per the state government’s Post Disaster Needs Assessment 2018, there are 34.85 lakh migrants in Kerala, with Ernakulam accounting for the most number of them, at 6.03 lakh. According to the officials of Railway Station Aluva, from where migrants board trains, there was no rush of workers. “As many as 16 trains are conducting services, however, the bookings are only in a normal stage,” said an official.
Taking into consideration the worries of migrants, the authorities of the ‘Aditi Devo Bhava Project’ of the National Health Mission has arranged vaccination against Covid-19 for the workers in Ernakulam district. “The vaccination drive for migrant workers will begin from Sunday,” said Dr Akhil Manuel, nodal officer of the project.