Migrant walks from city to reach Odisha, dies midway

A migrant worker employed in Hyderabad died at Bhadrachalam while he and his colleagues were walking back home in Odisha. The victim, Kasa Madakami, 25, was headed for Pandripani village in Malkangiri district, Odisha. He was employed in a construction project in Hyderabad.

Madakami and three others were stuck in Hyderabad when the lockdown was declared by the government to prevent the spread of Coronavirus infections. With all work stopped, their only refuge was their homes in their native village. They waited in Hyderabad for 40 days as the lockdown kept getting extended.

When the Shramik Special trains, especially for people like them, were started, they realised that their village was nowhere near the routes selected by the Centre to ply the trains. They lost the hope of getting transport and decided to walk home.

They started off from Hyderabad four days ago and reached Bhadrachalam on Tuesday, walking an average of 80 km a day. They had covered a distance of 320 km in the scorching sun and obviously suffered from dehydration. The temperature on Tuesday in Bhadrachalam was 40º Celsius.

Madakami collapsed suddenly when they reached Bhadrachalam. He was taken to a hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Sunstroke is said to be the reason for his death.

Shocked by this tragedy, his friends asked the police for help to take his body to his native place. They hired a vehicle and travelled to Pandripani village in Odisha.

Madakam Naresh, who was a co-traveller, said they did not take enough water and food with them during the journey. “It is a very sad incident in our lives,” he said.