This story is from April 16, 2020

Migrant workers in Secunderabad have no money to pay house rent

The government is providing meals and groceries to over 4,500 migrant workers in the Secunderabad Cantonment area but this is only a partial relief. The bigger problem that is worrying these workers is the house rents. With no income, the workers are in no position to pay the rent and are urging the state government to ask the owners to waive off the rent for at least five months.
Migrant workers in Secunderabad have no money to pay house rent
SECUNDERABAD: The government is providing meals and groceries to over 4,500 migrant workers in the Secunderabad Cantonment area but this is only a partial relief. The bigger problem that is worrying these workers is the house rents. With no income, the workers are in no position to pay the rent and are urging the state government to ask the owners to waive off the rent for at least five months.

According to Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) officials’ estimations, over 4,500 migrants from Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and from certain districts of Andhra Pradesh like Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, East and West Godavari districts, are staying in in Rasoolpura, Balamrai, Bolarum, Lal Bazar, Bowenpally and other areas.
Most of the migrants are daily-wage workers. The men work at construction sites, bar & restaurants, hotels, godowns and as lift boys at private hospitals and nursing homes and the women mostly work as maids.
In fact, most of these houses are in slum areas and the premises have poor sanitation facilities. Shelters in Anna Nagar, Srilanka Basthi, Indiramma Nagar, Chandrababu Naidu Nagar in Rasoolpura, are nothing but ‘pigeon boxes’.
The average rent in these areas is between Rs 1,500 and Rs 3,000 per month. Most of these workers cannot afford the rent and, therefore, five or six of them stay together in one single room and share the rent.
“By the grace of the Almighty, we do not have food problem. Officials are providing us with meals but the employers have not given us a single penny since the lockdown. Some of us are also having health problems but cannot buy medicines as they don’t have any money,” Chotu Kumar, a daily-wage worker Bihar, told TOI.

Odisha’s Raitu Kumar, who was a bartender in an outlet at Trimulgherry, said, “I am staying in a single room along with six members, including my parents, of my family. After the lockdown was announced, my employer sacked me without even paying my salary. From where will I get the money to pay the rent.”
Since the lockdown was announced, SCB officials had swung into action and started providing free meals through the GHMC-owned kiosks which were set up at five different places in the Cantonment area. Also, local ward members and social activists joined hands to provide relief materials for the workers. The SCB staff too come forward and contributed rice and essential commodities.
On Wednesday, staff of Airport Authority of India (AAI) working in Begumpet Airport, distributed 150 grocery kits to the migrant workers at the Airport premises.
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