Karnataka: Despite MHA orders, migrant workers remain on the edge

BELAGAVI/MANGALURU: The problem of migrant labourers determined to return home continued to vex the Karnataka government on Monday even as harrowing reports of workers from Rajasthan stuck on the Belagavi border and others from North Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in Dakshina Kannada emerged.
At a temporary shelter in Nehru Nagar, Belagavi, an eight-month-old baby cried continuously, while his father watched on helpless.His efforts to feed his child water were futile. The baby wanted to be breastfed, but the mother, who was sleeping nearby, was hungry and exhausted after travelling from Bengaluru. The little food along the way meant she wasn’t producing any milk.
The family, along with 450 others, has been continuously on the road for almost three days. In fact, most have been moving around since January
27. These workers gathered in Bengaluru from Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Chennai and other places, trying to get back home on trucks. Their journey, a bone-jarring 510km ride and walk from Bengaluru, was halted at around 1am in Belagavi on Monday by Karnataka police, who stopped seven trucks carrying these workers. The district administration conducted a routine health check to rule out Covid-19 infections.
Many women whom TOI spoke with said they cannot feed their babies. Meghram, husband of Poorham, said they had only two meals in three days. “For some stretches we had to walk because there was no transport,” Meghram said. “I think we would have walked about 100km, carrying our belongings and our children. All the mothers and children are in distress.”
Food and shelter
In Dakshina Kannada, a huge number of migrant labourers from various parts of North Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala continue to stay in facilities provided by the district administration. In line with the government’s decision, the district administration has swung into action and is providing board and lodging for workers from Hubballi, Gadag, Belagavi, Bagalkot, Vijayapura and other districts in North Karnataka and from neighbouring states.
Mangaluru MLA UT Khader told TOI there are more than 1,000 labourers stranded in the city alone. Currently, they are being housed near Town Hall, BCM Hostel in Kadri and another Mangaluru City Corporation building in Surathkal.
Mangaluru City Corporation commissioner Shanady Ajith Kumar Hegde said Kadri temple is providing food for about 1,000 people. “We have also made arrangements to prepare food for migrant labourers, beggars and the destitute through five Indira Canteens in the city. We will take care of their stay and provide food and water,” Hegde said.
Nearly 300 migrant labourers from North Karnataka, who could not find work following the nationwide lockdown, crossed over into Dakshina Kannada district at Talapady from Kasaragod district in Kerala.