Cops halt migrants march to Srikakulam

Shocked by PM’s decision to extend lockdown 200 labourers start the 900-km trek from Hyderabad to Srikakulam.
Uppal MLA B Subhash Reddy speaks to migrant labourers who set out to walk from Marredpally in Hyderabad to Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh after receiving news of the extension of the nationwide lockdown | R V K Rao
Uppal MLA B Subhash Reddy speaks to migrant labourers who set out to walk from Marredpally in Hyderabad to Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh after receiving news of the extension of the nationwide lockdown | R V K Rao

HYDERABAD:  As soon as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Tuesday morning that the lockdown would be extended till May 3, a group of around 200 daily wage labourers from Marredpally in Secunderabad gathered their belongings and started to walk to their homes in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh.

As the group, which includes around 10 children and a few senior citizens, completed almost seven km of the 900 km-long trek to Srikakulam, they were stopped by police at Habsiguda. Public representatives, including Minister of Animal Husbandry Talasani Srinivas Yadav and Uppal MLA Bethi Subhas Reddy, had to pacify the crowd and convince them to remain in Hyderabad.

“We will reach there in 7-10 days. We are not afraid, people in villages on the way will feed us,” said 65-year-old Lachamma. “It is extremely hard to live here now as ration is being sold in black,” she adds.
Our local Panchayat in Palasa deposited `1,000 in our accounts, which helped us till April 14, but we cannot live here anymore,” added 40-year-old Ramanamma, another member of the group.

“It is a shocker that the police did not stop them at Marredpally itself and allowed them to walk all this way in the blazing sun,” added an activist who was supplying food to the group of labourers.  “We have been explaining to them that the situation is not fit for travel and that they will be provided every possible help by the Telangana government,” said the Uppal MLA. However, the villagers refused to leave and stayed put, demanding either full wages or money.

“We are not beggars, nor are we rich enough to stay, so we have to go back. We were told that if we get into Andhra Pradesh, we will be tested and sent back home,” added Lachamma.The situation came under control after Minister Talasani Yadav reached the scene and facilitated the transport of the workers back to their homes with assurance of all support by the government.

Local Marredpally police also assured the migrant labourers that they would speak with the officials.
“The workers are in an emotional state where they are ready to die walking 920 km rather than staying here because they do not feel the administration cares for them. Trust building is the way ahead for next 20 days,” added  Anjaneyulu M, Regional Manager of the NGO Actionaid.

No food or water; 500 workers stage protest

Hyderabad: Around 500 migrant workers working at a construction site in Malkajgiri marched onto the roads with their buckets on Tuesday after water supply to their area was stopped. They also said they had not been given food supplies as assured by the Telangana government. These migrants hail from Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh. The issue persisted for nearly two hours before the Inspector of Malkajgiri intervened and quelled the unrest. “We have spoken to the officials of the construction company and they said the borewell issues will be resolved which caused the water problem. Food is being provided to them by the company and will continue until the lockdown,” said Malkajgiri Inspector A Manmohan. “We are 10 in a small barrack. There is no electricity in the morning. At 6 pm, power is given and we get water for only an hour a day. How do we survive,” a worker asks. “We have not been given a single grain by the company or the municipality. Fifteen days back, they took our Aadhaar and ration card xerox copies but no provisions have come to us,” rues another.

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