Pregnant Migrant Labourer Walking From Punjab To Bihar Delivers Baby On The Way, Child Dies

The plight of the millions of migrant workers since the beginning of the nationwide lockdown is one of the biggest human tragedies of our times.

Since the last weeks of March, millions of migrant workers who lost their livelihoods and were staring at an uncertain future due to the continued lockdown have been trying desperately to reach their villages.

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For most of them, their homes were hundreds if not thousands of kilometers away and had no means to reach there. Out of desperation, many decided to walk home and while some have reached their homes others were not that lucky, and died on the way, due to starvation, exhaustion or in accidents.

In yet another such tragic incident a migrant labourer's pregnant wife, who walked over 100 km from Ludhiana in Punjab, delivered a girl child after reaching Ambala in Haryana but the baby died shortly after birth.

Bindia and her husband Jatin Ram, who are in their early 20s, had set out from Ludhiana last week for their village in Bihar. When the couple reached Ambala City on Wednesday, the woman gave birth to a female child. However, the baby died immediately after the birth.

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The couple performed the last rites in Ambala City. Bindia married Ram two years ago and it was their first child.

She had come to Ludhiana from Bihar last year with Ram, who worked as a labourer in a factory. After the coronavirus forced a lockdown, most migrant workers began leaving for their hometowns.

Some walked and others hired vehicles to reach Ambala and Yamunanagar to board special trains. Ram said he and his nine-month pregnant wife decided to walk to Ambala after they did not get registration in special trains, possibly to save money for future travel expenses.

Bindia was very weak as she did not get a proper diet required by a pregnant woman, the husband said, adding they did not have enough money as he lost his job during lockdown.

When they reached Ambala City, from Ludhiana, after walking more than 100 km, Bindia started having labour pain and police helped Ram take her to the civil hospital. She delivered the child but the baby did not survive.

BCCL

An NGO at Ambala Cantonment has made arrangements for their stay and is provided them food. The NGO has assured the couple they would also make arrangements for their safe travel in a Shramik Special train to Bihar.