BERHAMPUR: Barely three months after turning their backs on Karnataka to escape lockdown misery, hundreds of migrant workers of Gajapati district have started returning to their workplace in the southern State in absence of livelihood options.
On Friday, 119 youths of R Udayagiri block in the district boarded two buses and left for Karnataka. The youths had no second thoughts about leaving their homes.
“Lack of work and livelihood options has forced us to return. We waited for a long period but found no employment here. So we contacted our employers and after receiving the green signal, we decided to return,” said a youth wishing not to be named.
With economic activities gradually limping back to normalcy in different parts of the country, both employers and workers are desperate to connect with each other and resume work.
“Most of us don’t have any cultivable land. During our stay in Karnataka, many of us had mastered various skills which could not be put to use here due to lack of enough work. Besides, it seems the Covid-19 is here to stay and and in such a situation, it is better to earn outside than starving at home,” said another youth.
Incidently, the State Government had announced to provide livelihood options to migrant workers after their return to Odisha. However, many returnees failed to get any work due to lack of coordination between various departments.
Collector Anupam Saha said work in several sectors is available in the district and many returnees have also been engaged. In such a situation, incidents of migrants returning to their workplaces should be probed, he added.
District labour officer Maheswar Naik said, “I was not present at the spot. On being informed about the departure of migrant workers, I immediately apprised the block development officer of R Udayagiri BDO and asked him to do the needful.”
Naik informed that over 14,400 migrant workers returned to Gajapati after the lockdown. “The district administration had arranged for their employment. I am dismayed by their decision to return,” he added.
Surprisingly, while all the entry points of the district have been sealed since the last more than two months, the buses managed to leave for Karnataka.
Earlier, hundreds of migrant workers of Ganjam had left for their work places at Surat and Chennai in absence of any work.