Fearing lockdown, many UP migrants return home
Some others prefer to stay back in cities where they work, saying they would rather die of corona than hunger
LUCKNOW: Hariharan Yadav, 34, a migrant worker who hails from Rampur Rakba village in Chauri Chaura tehsil, Gorakhpur, has been a gritty man. Inspired by the Chauri Chaura incident of 1922, (when a large group of angry protestors stormed a police station in Chauri Chaura town of Gorakhpur and set it on fire, killing 22 policemen), he has never said no to a challenge.
Yadav, who is a painter by profession and is employed with a Nagpur-based firm, left for Mumbai in search of a job 8 years ago with just a Rs 100 note in his pocket. Last year, during the lockdown he decided to cover more than 200 km on foot while heading back home in Uttar Pradesh.
But this time, when the second Covid-19 wave has badly gripped the nation and restrictions are being imposed in states to contain the deadly virus, Yadav is weary, evading any more challenges. The Covid– induced lockdown last year has been more than he could tackle.
“The pain and torture to which we were subjected during lockdown last year is still fresh in my memory. I travelled more than 200km on foot, faced police detention and almost died of hunger. This time I can’t take any chance as I have a family to look after”, said Hariharan , who returned from Nagpur on March 16 after partial restrictions were imposed there following the surge in Covid-19 cases.
More than 200 other villagers, who worked as painters in Maharashtra, have also returned to Rampur Rakba, which is often referred to as the painters’ village. “There are more than 800 villagers who work in different states, mostly as painters. However, around 200 have returned so far after government began imposing restrictions in Maharashtra and other states,” said Jai Prakash Paswan, former village head, Rampur Rakba.
Paswan said he frequently got calls from other villagers who were still stranded in different states and were unable to get train or bus tickets. However, he admitted that panchayat elections were also a reason behind the come-back of the migrants.
The polling for the first phase of Gram Panchayat Election 2021 was on April 15, second phase on April 19, third phase on April 26 and fourth phase on April 26.
The results will be declared on May 2. The situation is similar in Mahua, a village in Siddhartha Nagar. “Of the total population of around 2000, around 150 villagers work in different cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur and even Nepal. So far, around 90 villagers have returned fearing Covid-19 lockdown,” said Narsingh Yadav, village
head. Some of the migrant labourers here cited both restrictions and panchayat elections as the reason behind their comeback. “A large number of villagers here who work in other states have started returning following Covid and lockdown fears,” said Raj Kumar Gupta, a social worker from Aswari village in Raja Talab area, Varanasi. Mehdiganj, another village in Varanasi is also aflutter with returning migrant workers.
However, a few have preferred to stay back in places where they work. Shiv Mangal, who hails from Pariyar village of Unnao district of UP and sells ‘kulfi’ (homemade ice-cream) in Telangana, said on phone this time he would not be returning as the miseries and hardships he faced during the lockdown and post lockdown, still haunted him. “Sir, I have gone through a state of penury and I don’t want
to see it again. I believe that it’s better to die of corona than hunger. Hence, this time we won’t be coming back,” said Mangal, who pedalled all the way to Unnao, covering 1220km in six days on April 18, 2020 during lockdown. Along with Mangal, there are 300 other villagers who sell ‘kulfi’ in Telangana and they will also stay back.
Pherai Nishad, a resident of Gidhaura village of Siddhartha Nagar district said on phone, “I won’t be going back this time. Instead I will be in touch with the family through video conferencing on a newly bought smart phone. I have also stocked ration well just in case a lockdown is announced.” Like other states, UP too has witnessed a surge in Covid cases. Though the UP Government is yet to prepare a separate list of the migrant workers who are making a comeback, it has ordered target testing and sampling at the airport, bus stations
and railway stations to keep a check on infected passengers, especially those coming from the Covid-infested states.
The order was shot by UP chief secretary RK Riwari at a high-level meeting, making Covid test mandatory for passengers at railway station, bus station and airports in all the districtas. Northern Railway (NR), North-Eastern Railways (NER) and Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) officials, however, denied any surge in the inward traffic. “The trains are running packed. But there is no unusual surge in the crowd, may be because train passengers with only reserved train tickets are being allowed to travel at present,” said Mahesh Gupta, public relation officer (PRO), Lucknow Division, NR. Similarly, UPSRTC authorities too denied any surge in the inward traffic.
The pain and torture to which we were subjected during lockdown last year is still fresh in my memory
HARIHARAN, a migrant