Skip to main content

42 Unions and NGOs Demand Safe Passage For Migrant Labourers Returning to West Bengal List of 9090 Migrant Workers Submitted

Press Release | 04.05.2020

42 Unions and NGOs Demand Safe Passage For Migrant Labourers Returning to West Bengal
List of 9090 Migrant Workers Submitted
It is estimated that about 12 lakh workers from West Bengal are working in other states. Kerala alone is supposed to be housing 6 lakhs. Yet the State Government has arranged for two trains only (of which only one is from Kerala) and a few hundred buses. The Central Government has completely washed its hands off the matter. It has already been 40 days since the nationwide lockdown has been announced, with the woes of the stranded migrant labourers increasing with each passing day.
Today, 42 trade unions, people’s organisations and NGOs got together to issue letters to the West Bengal Chief Minister and Prime Minister asking for safe return of the workers. Their main demands are that the transportation arrangements need to be increased manifold immediately to bring workers back. The expenses for the return journey of the migrant labourers from other states to their homes by special trains and other transport, including food and water during the journey, should be met by the Central and State Governments, as migrants have no resources at all at the moment. Workers should be registered for the journey through simple processes. The letter also asks for mandatory health check ups, well equipped quarantine and isolations facilities. A ‘Sneher Paras’ desk should be made available in the station premises to all returnees to facilitate immediate registration for the one-time assistance to migrant labourers. Inter district transportation for stranded labourers within the state should also be arranged through state owned transport corporations.
Since the beginning of the COVID and lockdown crisis, several organisations who are signatories to this statement have also set up helplines for migrant workers and have supported 9090 workers in various ways through these helplines. A compiled list of these 9090 labourers from West Bengal who are stranded in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharasthra, Karnataka, Delhi, Haryana and other places  is being sent to the authorities with the demand to arrange for their transport, quarantine and one time aid under Sneher Paras.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

After 50 days of the “demonetisation” diktat aptly described as a “despotic action”, here is a special year-end update

1. Announcements                                                                                                   RTF Campaign Statement: The Right to Food Campaign has issued a statement to denounce “demonetisation” as a reckless attempt by the government to undermine the right to food and life ( English | Hindi ). The statement condemns the more than 100 demonetisation-related deaths and inevitable economic recession that has hit millions of vulnerable families. The campaign statement demands compensation fo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Brief Report Of The State Convention of Right to Food and Work Campaign- West Bengal

The Right to Food and Work Campaign-West Bengal successfully completed it state convention on 6 th and 7 th April, 2017 at Badu, Barasat, West Bengal with about 300 delegate from 12 districts.   The conference opened with a reading of the basic statement that had stated the issues we would focus on – food, work and democracy. While the primary focus of the convention were the Rights to Food and Work, it was alarming to note that many of the speakers warned the delegates about the disquieting tendency of  governments and ruling political parties to suppress the democratic voice of the civil society. Shri Swapan Ganguly gave the West Bengal context where even the smallest demand for rights had often to face repression from ruling elite and a small group of very powerful political leaders . these leaders were using the State machinery without any qualms to supress any kind of dissent. The aim seemed to be to have a situation where only the ruler’s voice would be heard....
Post a Comment
Read more