Hyderabad: 'Homesick' migrants bent upon returning

Hyderabad: The decision to allow resumption of construction activity in the State does not appear to have created confidence among the migrant labour. They appear to be determined to go back to their native villages.

Many of them on Sunday reached the Secunderabad railway station only to be told that no trains were being operated and that they should go back to the places from where they have come.

On the other hand, many workers took to streets in different parts of the State and staged dharna. Police had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the crowd.

A large number of migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha came on to roads and resorted to dharna at Tolichowki area. The agitating workers sat on the roads demanding that they be sent back to their native places immediately.

They said that their families were in distress in their villages while they were facing several problems staying in the camps established at project sites here in the city.

Tension gripped the entire area for a while when the workers threatened to go on day-long strike if their demands were not met. The police deployed heavy forces and tried in vain to convince the workers to call off their dharna.

With no other option, the police resorted to a mild lathicharge to scatter the striking workers. They withdrew the stir after West Zone DCP AR Srinivas assured them that their grievances will be addressed.

Construction agencies maintained that they are ready to resume construction activity but it was the workers who were not ready to join duty at many project sites and were insisting to go back to their villages.

In some cases, workers were demanding hike in the wages by at least 50 per cent. The builders' associations had called for a meeting with the representatives of the migrant workers to break the deadlock.

Instances of series of dharnas were also reported from different parts of Telangana. A group of contract workers from Bihar boycotted their duties at NTPC thermal power plant in Ramagundam.

They called off the agitation after getting assurance from local authorities and MLA K Chander who promised to send them back.

Similarly, workers staged dharna in Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar and Khammam districts. Taking serious note of the growing unrest among migrant workers, the government decided to speed up the process to send them back to their home states at the earliest.

The District Collectors have been asked to send the list of the stranded workers to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar by Monday. The authorities are also in talks with other state officials and Union government to provide transport facility for the home-bound workers.