Under Fire For Forcing Migrant Workers To Stay Back, Karnataka To Resume Train Service For Them
After two days of trying to defend its order cancelling the Shramik Special trains for migrant workers to reopen the state's construction sector, the Karnataka government has decided to resume the service.?
The BS Yeddyurappa government on Thursday wrote to nodal officers of various states seeking their consent to operate trains to their states from May 8 to 15.
While the government has reached out to Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Odisha, so far only two states have agreed to take the stranded migrant workers back.?
Earlier the Karnataka government and several BJP leaders from the state had defended the government decision with BJP MP from Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya defended the stoppage of inter-state trains calling it a bold and necessary move. He also went on to claim that it will help migrant labourers who came here with the hope of a better life to restart their dreams and will kick-start economic activities full throttle.?
CM Yediyurappa defended his actions saying that the exodus will affect the construction sector. Ą°Already, the construction work has resumed. Several members from the construction sector said that if labourers return at this juncture, it would affect them,Ą¯Ą¯ he said.?
Karnataka which had already operated several Shramik Special trains had on Wednesday cancelled the services, after the CM's meeting with the leaders of the construction industry in the state.?
With the lockdown restrictions easing, Karnataka, much like other states was eager to kickstart some desperately needed economic activity and the constrictions sector was one of the key priorities.In the meeting, the builders reportedly told the CM that the migrant workers leaving will affect the resumption of the construction activities.?
After the meeting, Yediyurappa appealed to the migrant workers to stay back and said that the builders have agreed to pay wages to workers for the entire period of lockdown and ensure all essential facilities, including safety gear, at workplaces.?
Many migrant workers who were left without jobs and income for nearly one and a half months were desperate and were unconvinced by the promises.?
Since Wednesday, hundreds of them have started walking back to their homes, which are hundreds of kilometres away.While Karnataka was the only state that tried to stop the migrant workers from leaving, others too are facing a similar crisis.?
Many fear that the migrant workers will not return even after the locdown ends and that is bad news for the states which are dependent on them to keep key sectors moving.
