2020 rerun? Migrant exodus from Punjab begins, again
LUDHIANA: Fearing that the Covid-19 situation may turn from bad to worse in Punjab and they may lose job amid a possible lockdown like last year, thousands of migrant labourers in Ludhiana, the industrial capital of the state, are rushing to their hometowns in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
With fewer trains available to take them to their home states, migrants are hiring private buses, which are plying jampacked. As uncertainty of their return to Ludhiana looms large, the movement has triggered panic among industrialists.
At a number of pickup points in the city, including Sherpur Chowk, Gill Chowk, Jalandhar Bypass, Jamalpur, Sham Nagar, five to six private buses are ferrying hundreds of migrants to their hometowns daily.
A number of these labourers said that they usually visit their hometowns this time of the year but the fear of lockdown has forced them to advance their plans. “Last year, the lockdown was announced all of a sudden and we were left without any income with many of us having to walk or cycle all the way to our villages. We do not want a similar situation this year,” said Raju Tiwari, who works with a plastic manufacturing firm. Tiwari was going to Gorakhpur with his family and was not sure if he will return.
The private bus operators are charging exorbitantly making hay of the situation. “For a ticket costing Rs 750, we are being charged Rs 1,000,” said Manoj Yadav, a labourer who was going to his village near Patna.
Ram Kumar Yadav, who runs an NGO “Yadav Ahir Mahasabha” for the poor, said the lockdown in Dugri on Sunday has made things worse. “A large number of labourers who went to their villages last year haven’t returned,” he said.
Industrialists are making allout efforts to stop the exodus. “It is a grim situation for the industry. The labour is leaving in large numbers anticipating a total lockdown. This is the time we stuff for winters. We are giving them incentives to ensure they do not go back,” said Vinod Thapar, president, Ludhiana Knitwear Club.