TIRUCHY: The apprehension among a majority of the migrant workers, following the rumoured attacks in Tamil Nadu, seems to have waned. However, a minor section is still scared to go out alone and prefers to go in groups.
P Senthil, a civil engineer from Salem, who has hired 15 migrant labourers said, “After the rumours about the attack on migrant workers, we witnessed a lack of enthusiasm among the workers, who restricted themselves to their rooms during non-working hours. These kinds of rumours affect people like us, who depend on these labourers.”
S Mohammed from Bihar, who arrived in Tiruchy to board a train to Chennai, said, “We don’t pay much attention to such rumours as it would affect our work and we hear such news now and then.” Pratap from Odisha, who works at a food joint in Karumandapam, said, he sent his wife back home a week ago for a festival. “I told her to come back only after things have calmed down,” he added.
A Railway Protection Force official in Tiruchy said, “Even though the departure of migrant labourers seems high this time, it’s not unusual as they go home during this time of the year for attending temple festivals and vacation.”
Muthukumar, a construction company owner from Pollachi, said the entire episode has made the workers give up alcohol. “When we asked the workers about this, they said this should not be the reason for any attacks and we have reduced alcohol intake as much as possible. Though giving up alcohol is a good thing, they are giving it up out of fear and this is not a good sign,” he said.
Mukul Das (32) from Bihar, who has been working in a garment unit in Tiruppur for the past four years said, “As the video of the attack on migrants was circulated, we were shocked. After a few days, we found out the videos were fake. An inspector arrived at our facility along with a translator and explained that the videos were doctored to spread panic. Currently, we feel safe in Tiruppur.”
Senthil Madhavan, a construction engineer, who hires workers for government projects said the workers are returning and things are falling back into place. A Madurai-based psychiatrist, R Vikhram, who had done a study in 2019 about mental health issues faced by migrant workers said, “We find many migrant labourers struggling psychologically due to work pressure and other external factors such as language barrier, food, etc. In the current scenario, the mental health of the migrant labourers is likely to worsen. They would not spell out their stress owing to their socio-economic conditions and would not think of reaching out to anyone.”
Minister for Labour Welfare and Skill Development CV Ganesan said the state government will take whatever action is necessary to keep migrant workers safe and healthy. “We have noticed positive changes among the migrant population after we provided a helpline number for them to contact in an emergency which could also help them deal with their problems,” he said.