Some migrant workers to stay back in Srikakulam

Srikakulam: Migrant workers from different States, who have come to Srikakulam in search of livelihood, have expressed their wish to remain in the district. It means that they do not want to leave the district for their native places. These workers have hailed from Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Tamila Nadu. They have been working in Srikakulam district at different places as skilled and unskilled workers.

According to official sources, the migrant workers are employed in units like granite cutting, polishing units, road bridge works, bricks manufacturing, power lines extension and National Highway extension projects. Some of them have businesses like electrical, cloth and sweet shops, apart from doing trade like selling of snacks etc.

The Revenue officials identified migrant workers during the lockdown. There were in all 7,000 migrant workers in the district. Of them as many as 4,200 workers returned to their home States. The district administration deployed 150 buses to send these workers back to their native places. They were also paid Rs 500 each to meet the expenses on their way to their home States.

As many as 2,800 workers, however, chose to stay back in the district and continue in the jobs they were doing in the run up to lockdown. The business persons expressed their happiness over the decision of the section of the migrant workers to stay put in the district.