VELLORE: After losing their jobs and wages ever since the lockdown was enforced, 58 tribal labourers from Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts returned to their homes on Wednesday.
Forty-two of them had been languishing in the plantation estates of Chikmagalur in Karnataka while 16 had toiled in the coffee and pepper estates in Thrissur district in Kerala.
“As many as 58 tribal labourers returned today. Forty-two had been working in Karnataka and 16 in Kerala. They returned on vans and buses,” said A Vincent Ramesh Babu, block development officer (BDO) of Anaicut.
They were received at the primary health centre (PHC) located at Odugathur in Anaicut block in Vellore district.
Swab tests were taken for all the labourers at the PHC before they were allowed to move to their houses.
They were provided tiffin and lunch arranged by the local authorities.
Food and rice kits, donated by T Velalagan, chairman of Vellore district Aavin, were also distributed to the tribal workers.
“We used to go to the estates after the Pongal festival. We could visit our homes once during the work period which lasts for about 4 months, but this time, we got stuck there due to the lockdown,” said Sekar, a labourer belonging to Erimedu village in Jardhankollai hill hamlet.
Officials, including P Imayavaramban (BDO) and Tahsildar Muralikumar, arranged a vehicle to ferry 14 tribal workers from Nimmiyampattu in neighbouring Tiruvannamalai district.
It may be noted that 304 tribal workers had returned from Kanniyakumari district last week after languishing without work and wages at the clove estates in Keeriparai.