Don t return On Saturday, May 23, 2020, 01:47:03 AM GMT+1, Goanet Reader
wrote:
As the state’s tourism industry
counts its losses, anxious
workers are thronging railway
stations and even walking home
to north Indian states.
By Pamela D'Mello
PHOTO: Migrant workers from
Madhya Pradesh outside a
government shelter in South Goa.
On Wednesday morning, 25-year-old Santanu Samanta was camped
outside the Calangute office of local MLA and BJP minister
Michael Lobo, completing his third round of paperwork in the
hope of getting a ticket for a train ride back home to East
Midnapore in West Bengal.
Over the past few weeks, Samanta had submitted papers to the
panchayat authorities of Calangute -- the beach village
normally teeming with tourists who frequented the area's
now-shuttered hotels, restaurants and shacks -- and done the
rounds of the mamlatdar offices in nearby Mapusa town.
"The hotel I work in has been closed since March 20. There's
no work anymore and we are desperate to get back. Earlier,
Goa was safer and in the green zone, but now the virus has
come to Goa, so we need to get out of here before the
situation gets worse," he said.
At the beginning of May, Goa had been declared a green zone
by the central government after not reporting any cases for
21 days. While chief minister Pramod Sawant had warned at
the time that the fight was not over, the news was
undoubtedly a relief after an ill-planned state lockdown left
people struggling to access basic necessities.
However, the state has now lost its 'Covid-free
zone' status as it has reported 45 active cases
after the restarting of train services.
As the tourism industry counts its losses, Samanta, who had
been working at Neelam's The Grand hotel near Calangute beach
since 2018, along with 20 others from his district, now just
wants to be back home with his parents.
But even if he manages to get a ticket finally, the
devastation from Cyclone Amphan in his home state may delay
his plans again.
Many of these workers tried to stay back for as long as they
could, but are now looking for any mode of transport back
home, even attempting to walk thousands of kilometres to
north Indian states. They are desperate due to lack of
money, have lost trust in the administration and fear they
will be forced to stay back under pressure from the
construction and industrial lobby.
No money for food
The workers milling around the minister's office didn't want
to dwell too much on their unpaid or underpaid wages. Some
have not received any money in the past month, but most said
they were allowed to stay on in the accommodation provided by
hotels for outstation staff.
Lobo and the local village panchayat had overseen provision
of food twice a day during the first phase of the lockdown,
which ended on 14 April, but the hardship during that time
and since has made the workers anxious.
49-year-old Syed Khan, who used to be a cook at a
now-shut local restaurant since 2014, had fatigue
writ large on his face. Anxious to get back to his
family in Lucknow, he was waiting outside Lobo's
house with his friend Rangilal Kaulik (55),
formerly employed as a dishwasher. Both had no
idea that two Shramik Special trains had departed
on Wednesday from Goa to Lucknow and Rae Bareli.
"Don't even ask how we managed these last two
months. Some days we've eaten, some days we've
not. We’ve run out of money now. We've been
waiting two months to return home," said a
despondent Khan.
A day earlier, police lathi-charged the crowds of
workers milling outside the minister's office, too
anxious about the interminable wait for a
home-bound train to consider social distancing.
Waiting for trains and buses
Ever since restrictions eased on train travel, daily crowds
of anxious migrants have gathered outside the collector's
offices in Panjim and other centres in the state.
On Tuesday, Nurjahan Mulla (27), Jannat Bi (20) and Mabukbi
Jakati (45) travelled by bus from the suburban Chimbel
village, where they worked as domestic helps before the
lockdown. Now, all they want is to go home.
"There was a bus that was to take us to our hometown Hubballi
(in Karnataka), but that's been cancelled. We are here to
find out when the buses will start," said Nurjahan. Both
Jannatbi and Nurjahan have worked in Goa for the past six
years, but lost their jobs during the lockdown. Mabukbi who
has worked in Goa for 20 years, also prefers to return to
Hubballi.
"It's not possible to survive here without work," she said.
Migrant workers from Karnataka were the first to try to
return home in early May, some by hiring buses on their own
with support from contractors. But many were turned away at
the Karnataka border because they didn't possess an exit and
entry pass or a vehicle to take them
