Banerjee’s proposal leads to a flood of applications
They come from faraway places. Wrapped in heavy woollens, they stand patiently in queues outside the office of district magistrates in the morning. Their only hope: they will be able to return to Bengal to be reunited with their families, and get some work to feed the hungry mouths.
They are all migrant workers who have left their families, homes, and state years ago in search of bread.
A recent public announcement by chief minister Mamata Banerjee has kindled hope.
Baban Ghosh, a resident of Mathurapur village under Manikchak police station of Malda district, is one such applicant. “I live in Delhi where I work as a construction worker. But I long to return to my state and the chief minister’s assurance has given me new hope,” he said.
“After the gruesome murder at Rajsamand near Udaipur, I am really scared. We are fortunate that the chief minister has thought about us and announced something to ensure our safety,” said Shirazul Halim, a resident of Bhagwangola in Murshidabad district, working as a construction in Uttar Pradesh.
“The chief minister’s announcement is a scope for us to stay with my family and so I have applied hoping for an opportunity to come back with some gainful employment,” said Prabhat Mahato of Manbazar of Purulia district. He works in a garment factory in Bengaluru.
Banerjee’s statement. which drew them to queue up in front of the DM’s office, was delivered at a public rally at Kotshila in Purulia district on December 12 last year.
“People of West Bengal go to many states like Bihar, UP and Rajasthan for work. If they feel insecure and want to return, they can register their names at the respective district magistrate’s offices. We will guarantee work for 200 days for each of them a year as well as a one-time financial
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assistance of ₹50,000. It may help them start a small business here,” Banerjee said.
Her announcement came five days after a video emerged of 49-year old Afrazul Khan, a construction worker from Malda, was was hacked to death in Rajsamand of Rajasthan where he went to work 20 years ago. The killer, Sambhu Lal Regar, doused his body with petrol and set it on fire while his nephew allegedly recorded the incident on phone.
However, despite Banerjee’s announcement, no notification has been issued by the state government so far, keeping the district administration in a fix even as their offices are flooded with applications from migrant workers to get benefits.
As the queues got longer, employees of the DM office merely kept a database of those who applied.
Ironically, the faces on the other side of the counter carried a lot of hopes. Sirazul Halim rushed back home after his brother informed him about the announcement. “I was supposed to come home on leave in February. But I came in January after learning about the decision,” he said. Baban Ghosh and Prabhat Mahato had come home when they heard about the statement.
Incidentally, the office of the DM of Purulia, where Banerjee made the announcement, witnessed the biggest queues so far. DM A P Roy, confirmed that his office has received more than 500 applications already.
“However, since we have not received any specific instructions from the state secretariat or the state labour department so far, we are just accepting their applications. After we get specific instructions, we will start the process of scrutinising the applications,” he said.
An officer of Murshidabad district said they received more than 300 applications.
P Chakrabarty, a sub-divisional officer from Malda district, also confirmed that till January 15, they have received more than 400 applications.
“We understand their concerns and are looking at them sympathetically. But we have nothing else to do until we get specific instructions,” added Chakrabarty.
Bengal labour minister Moloy Ghatak said the modalities of introducing the scheme is being worked out.
However, department officials pointed out that extreme caution is necessary since some migrant workers can accept the financial assistance and go back to their workplace in other states.