The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

    Migrant workers from Bihar head back to former workplaces

    Synopsis

    Trains from Bihar to various places such as Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Secunderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Bengaluru (Karnataka) and Amritsar (Punjab) are running at full capacity as migrant workers are being offered good wages.

    workersAgencies
    Chief public relation officer of the East Central Railways (ECR) Rajesh Kumar said the high occupancy in trains indicates the picking up of economic activities in different cities.
    With economic activities picking up in urban areas and better wage rates in cities, migrant workers are heading back to their former workplaces from different parts of Bihar.

    Trains from Bihar to various places such as Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Secunderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Bengaluru (Karnataka) and Amritsar (Punjab) are running at full capacity as migrant workers are being offered good wages.

    “We have a group of 14 people. Our project manager of the construction site of a flyover in Ratlam had called us to come. He promised us good wages. I hope one person will earn around ₹25,000 per month there. So, we decided to go to Ratlam immediately,” said Mantu Poddar from Kathghara village in Bihar’s Saharasa district.

    All these 14 construction workers reached New Delhi by a special train from Bihar on Wednesday morning. “From here (New Delhi), we will catch another special train to Ratlam in the evening,” Poddar told ET over the phone.

    Mantu said he had earlier visited Patna in search of jobs for his group. “I contacted the authorities of a construction company. They offered us very low wages. Then our group decided to return to Ratlam,” he said. “If we continue to stay at the work site in Ratlam for six months, the company will also reimburse our train fares. So, we travelled in AC second class coach of the train from Saharasa to New Delhi,” he said.

    Tufail Khan, the husband of the village chief of Salona Panchayat of Begusarai district, said more than 40 workers of his village had left for different states such as Gujarat and Punjab. “Most of them work in rice mills. Some people work in garment factories in Punjab. They formed their own groups and booked vehicles to reach their respective destinations,” said Khan.

    The Buxar railway station on Tuesday also saw many migrant workers. “We work in a company which manufactures auto parts in Bhiwadi in Rajasthan. One senior person of our company called me a week ago informing me of the resumption of work. I booked the train tickets immediately,” said Santosh Maurya who was waiting with his two colleagues at the station.

    When asked about his reluctance to get a job in Bihar, he said they did not want to waste time waiting for jobs there. “We hope our company will give us increased wages in this hour of crisis. Thus, we are returning to Bhiwadi,” he said. Another passenger Dharamdeo was on his way to Sonipat in Haryana. “I work in a dyeing factory. I earn about 15,000 per month there. I hope it offers increased wages,” Singh told ET.

    Chief public relation officer of the East Central Railways (ECR) Rajesh Kumar said the high occupancy in trains indicates the picking up of economic activities in different cities.


    (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
    (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2024 News, Budget 2024 Live Coverage, Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)

    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

    Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.

    ...more

    (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
    (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2024 News, Budget 2024 Live Coverage, Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)

    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

    Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.

    ...more
    The Economic Times

    Stories you might be interested in