Over 10,000 workers from Maharashtra stuck in Telangana

Read| 214 shelter homes set up in Pune division for migrant labourers, homeless

However, when the lockdown was announced, Dudhe and others found themselves stuck in Telangana. “The announcement caught us by surprise and by the time we realised what was happening, we were struck,” he said. At present, Dudhe and other villagers are lodging in the fields and home of their employer.

State minister Vijay Wadettiwar admitted that more than 10,000 labourers from Chandrapur were stuck in Telangana. He said Mehboobnagar, Khammam and Bhadrachalam districts in the neighbouring state have the highest concentration of such workers. “It is an annual migration but this year the pandemic and the lockdown has put them in quandary,” he said. Wadettiwar, who is the guardian minister of Chandrapur, said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has spoken to his counterpart in Telangana, who has assured him of all necessary help.

Read| Walking with the migrants, across four states, one story: What do we have here?

The lockdown has also mandated migrated workers should not be allowed to return to their home states. Instead they would be housed in temporary shelters where they would be given food by the district administration. “We are in constant touch with both the stuck labourers and the local administrations. Once the lockdown is lifted, they will be brought back to Maharashtra,” he said.

Dudhe’s children, aged 8 and 14, are staying in his village. “At present their elderly grandmother is looking after them. We are worried about them but can’t to do anything at this moment,” Dudhe said.

Here’s a quick Coronavirus guide from Express Explained to keep you updated: What can cause a COVID-19 patient to relapse after recovery? | COVID-19 lockdown has cleaned up the air, but this may not be good news. Here’s why | Can alternative medicine work against the coronavirus? | A five-minute test for COVID-19 has been readied, India may get it too | How India is building up defence during lockdown | Why only a fraction of those with coronavirus suffer acutely | How do healthcare workers protect themselves from getting infected? | What does it take to set up isolation wards?