Migrant workers embark on 900-km walk to Vizianagaram

Ongole: The pathetic fate of the people stranded in other States is making them believe that it is very much better to walk to home than suffer in the land, where no one comes to their rescue.

The workers, who dared to walk hundreds of kilometres to reach their native place, claim that they may not leave it again to face the turmoil again.

A group of 110 people, natives of Vizianagaram district, started along National Highway 16, from Chennai on Saturday night. They reached Ongole on Wednesday afternoon when HMTV and The Hans India interacted with them. They claimed that they live in Navalur, a suburb of Chennai and go to construction work. Due to the lockdown, they lost work and the contractors didn't care about them. The house owners forced them on payment of rent, while the local administration failed to extend any help to them.

The women said that most of them didn't have enough food for the last two days. The workers said that they took the decision to walk nearly 900 kilometres on foot as the Tamil Nadu and AP governments didn't help them. Paila Ramakrishna, one of the workers said that when the local bodies' elections were announced, a few of the local leaders called them and asked them to come home. He said that the leaders even got ready to arrange vehicles to transport them from Chennai to Vizianagaram for their votes and also ensure transport arrangements for the return journey.

But, after the announcement of the lockdown, none of the leaders called them and inquired about their condition, claimed Ramakrishna. He said that they had witnessed the worst in their life and they do not want to face it again. "We may not come back again, as we witnessed the bad and ugly phases of life now by being hungry for days, walking for miles, hiding from the police, and doing everything to go home," he said.

Moved by the condition of the workers, the HMTV staff provided meals, snacks and buttermilk packets to them. The workers thanked the HMTV staffers for extending help to them.