Hyderabad: City faces labour crunch as migrants still stuck in States

Hyderabad: With the complete revocation of lockdown after more than a month long restrictions, the industries in and around the city are yet to propel the production that was stalled ever since the Covid-19 infected curbs were imposed in the State.

However, the comeback of the labour force that returned to their native places early in the month of April fearing the previous wrought is not yet set into motion as several northern states are still not came out of Covid-19 infected curbs.

The northern states like Odissa, Jharkhand and few others were not completely revoked the lockdown making it difficult for most of the labourers to travel to Telangana State to form the complete circle of the workforce.

Though the South Central Railway began rail services to some destinations, the number of migrant labourers returning back to city is still very less and an embargo over the movement of buses from the state also rumbling the pace of labourers' arrival to city.

"Returning of labourers is not set into motion in the city as much as we are aware as several northeastern states, from where the most of the workforce comes to the city, have not lifted the curbs yet.

Whatever the meager number of labourers are marking into the city are mainly through trains as nobody wants to pay more for the journey through buses as they are already hit hard with the pandemic. Already, they took flights to their native places two months ago through busses by paying huge amounts given the emergency like situation," informed Jahangir, a tourist operator.

Thousands of laborers from Maharashtra to Odisha are working in several industries in and around the city. Only the industries in Katedhan under Rajendranagar area carries a chunk of around 20,000 labourers to say the least out of which half of them are employed in biscuits factories in this particular area. Most of the labourers are from Odisha and West Bengal who are working in several industries located at Katedhan, Shadnagar, Kuthur, Gagan Pahad, Jeedimetla and Balanagar areas.

These labourers begin their journey, some along with their family, to their native places from Amma Garden at Mailardevpally even before the night curfew was imposed in the state on 20th April.

The labourers paid huge amount to private tourist operators to secure seats in the buses making flights to states they were belong to only to avoid situation created in the year 2020 when the corona virus contagion first broke out to cripple the entire transportation system and the herds of migrant workers were forced to return to their native place barefoot.

"Offlate the lockdown was revoked in Telangana and there is a possibility of arrival of labourers will set into motion again. Majority of the labourers having employment in Hyderabad and surrounding areas are from Odisha where the lockdown is still enforced.

As the permits were not been issued for the states still having lockdown, no busses will carry the flight to the restricted areas. However, we heard that the labourers are coming back to the city through availing rail services.

But the concerning point is that the majority of the labourers are still wary of a possible re-convulsing pandemic that would land them into trouble again. This makes them move cautiously before boarding to Telangana. However, the workers will surely return to work as they and the industries together don't have an option better then to make a team," argued Hari, a labour contractor.