In a heart-wrenching incident, a 12-year-old girl from Chhattisgarh who was working as a migrant worker in Telangana has died of exhaustion after walking back home for more than three days.
The girl, identified as Jamalo Madkam, was working at a chilly filed in Peruru village of Telangana to support her family. But flowing the lockdown Madkam and others who were working in the field were left jobless and stranded.?
A few days back Madkam, along with 13 others began walking back home and had covered over 100 km on foot by Sunday.The group had reached the border of Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Sunday, which was just 11 kms away from Madkam village, where she died.The Indian Express quoting officials reported that Madkam died of electrolyte imbalance and exhaustion from the treacherous journey.?
Her parents, Andoram and Sukamati who make living by collecting and selling forest produce said that their daughter had left home for the first time two months ago to work in the chili filed to support the family. They only got to know about the death of their daughter on Monday as the group had all drained their mobile phone batteries.?
A medical team from Bijapur caught up with the group on the outskirts of Bhandarpal village and the girl's body was taken to a morgue, while the group was sent into a quarantine facility.?
On Monday, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced Rs 1 lakh for the girl¡¯s family.?
The death of the 12-year-old girl once again shows how the most vulnerable sections of the society have been impacted due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown.
Ever since the lockdown came into effect on March 25, millions of migrant workers from across the country have been on a mass reverse migration to their villages.?
With no public transport available many had to walk for days before they reached their homes. Many also died due to exhaustion on the way. The second wave of mass reverse migration had started recently after the lockdown was extended till May 3.?
Many who had stayed back on the hope that the lockdown would be lifted on April 14th found themselves in a vulnerable position after the lockdown due to coronavirus was extended.?
The lockdown extension had also created massive chaos in Mumbai after hundreds of migrant workers gathered outside the Bandra Railway Station demanding that they should be provided with arrangements to go back home.