Assam: 4 Migrant Labourers walk Over 200 Kms to Reach Native District Kokrajhar

Kokrajhar, April 25, 2020:

For 4 penniless Assam labourers who were starting to feel the pangs of hunger in the midst of the lockdown called by the Government in a bid to "flatten the COVID curve", walking home to their native district Kokrajhar was the last resort. And it was the only choice they had left.

On a bright and sunny Wednesday morn (April 22), the 4 men -- Ramprasad Das (45), Nadir Hussain (50), Nikil Majumdar (22), and Aminur Rahman (35) -- who were employed at the AIIMS construction site at Changsari in Assam, set off on what would be a perilous journey that could even prove fatal. Indeed, many labourers who had embarked on cross-country journeys to reach their homelands had died from health complications had died on the way.

ALSO READ: No ‘Relaxation’ on Lockdown Rules Yet, Decision on April 27: Assam Chief Secretary

However, the four labourers would not be deterred and resolved to make the journey on foot. For four days they walked and walk and they walked. Eventually, after 4 days of non-stop toil, they reached their destination, Kokrajhar, earlier today.

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"Today, we started walking from 5 am itself. We walked for 4 long days from Changsari", Nadir Hussain told us after finally reaching Kokrajhar.

[caption id="attachment_57795" align="alignnone" width="660"] Checking in Kokrajhar[/caption]

When medical staff were informed about the arrival of these labourers, a few personnel reached the site to inspect them, and discovered that the men, some of whom are middle-aged, are suffering following their ordeal. Some of them even had swollen legs. Now, these labourers do not whether to laugh or cry.

"Their condition is not good, they are in suffering. Perhaps they did not eat properly along the way. Because they walked for so long, some of them have swollen feet. Now, we will have to try and make them healthy again", a medical personnel told us.

For 45-year-old Ram Prasad Das, the penniless journey has proved to be immensely difficult. "I will go to Bhauragiri and we set off with empty pockets. My legs have swelled up due to pain. I was working at the AIIMS in Delhi, and it has been closed down since March 1".

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Interestingly, the ordeal of these 4 labourers has come to light at a time when the Assam administration has relaxed the rules for inter-district travel. On March 25, 26, and 27, the state Government will facilitate travel for people struck in other districts.

Who can Leave for Other Districts?

Assam Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced earlier in the week that the inter-district travel will be "conditional". However, to access the free travel, one has to dial a helpline number. Moreover, not all those who sought travel to other districts have been allowed. Due to several constraints, many several persons have not been registered and must wait until the lockdown is over.

In regards to migrant workers, Sarma said that their employers will have to ensure that permission is taken before moving them to their places of work in vehicles. No more than 25 workers will be allowed per vehicle, Sarma said. However, some, it seems, simply wish to go back home now.

The Vulnerability of the Poor:

In all likelihood, many of the poor migrants who are struggling to put together two square meals daily, are unaware. Many are separated from their families and are in a mad rush to get back to their loved ones. And, although the Assam Government has earmarked 41,000 people to be shifted in a "one-way journey", it is clear that many of the labourers, the most vulnerable class, will be left behing.

Thus, this latest example of migrant labourers walking home, similar to numerous other such incidents, proves that the poor are still deprived. In their constant struggle for survival, the "necessary lockdown" seems to have became an unmovable burden in their lives.

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