Vijayawada: Migrants return to native places

Vijayawada: Migration of workers from Vijayawada to rural areas continue unabated for the past few months due to the huge impact of Covid-19 and falling of economic activity in the city. Thousands of migrant workers from Odisha, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Bengal and Rajasthan have already left from the city in May and June.

With the increasing number of Covid cases and falling of income levels, many people are migrating to their native places particularly in north Coastal districts, Prakasam and Nellore districts. Trading activity, which provides maximum livelihood to the people, has been stalled for many months. Consequently, thousands of workers and employees in unorganised sector lost the livelihood. Moreover, the threat of Covid-19 haunts people mostly the slum dwellers as many people live in congested areas and may fall prey to virus.

Hamalis, who play key role in loading and unloading of goods in the wholesale and retail markets, shops, godowns, stock points too lost their livelihood as wholesale markets and retails shops closed several times due to lockdown restrictions imposed on business activities.

Construction workers also facing the impact of Covid-19 as builders are not willing to start new projects due to lack of skilled workers. Increasing number of virus cases and high cost of living are the two prime reasons for exodus of people. Compared to Vijayawada, the house rents are very less in rural areas. Moreover, there is scope for getting livelihood under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).

Many migrant workers have their own houses in their native places. So, they are going back to their villages and been planning to come back to Vijayawada after economic activity resumes in the city. Street hawkers, petty traders, daily wage workers and construction workers in a large number are going back to their native places, said Chigurupati Baburao, the CPM state secretariat member. He said poor and below middle-class families in the city facing many hardships due to losing jobs/work and falling of income and it leads to migration to rural areas.