Hyderabad: Unable to walk to native places, brick-kiln workers wait for help

Hyderabad: Close to 15,000 brick-kiln workers in and around Hyderabad, mostly from Odisha, are waiting to get back home. Every year, thousands come to Telangana from Kantabanjhi, Titilagarh, Nuapada, Balangir, Bargarh, Kalahandi in Odisha in November and stay-put till end of May.

Tulsiram Nial from Titilagarh says, "The work at the brick-kilns is over and the season only starts in November. The owners are not going to pay us and we need to return or we would starve."

Across Telangana State, about 50,000 workers, majority from Odisha and the remaining from Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra work in Ranga Reddy, Nizamabad, Warangal, Yadadri-Bhongir, Nalgonda and other places. In Greater Hyderabad, about 15,000 work in brick-kilns at Tukkuguda, Keesaragutta, Adibatla and near Sangareddy.

A Krishna of Human Rights Forum, who has been working closely with brick-kiln workers, says, "Two trains to Odisha would be enough to send them back with grace and dignity. These workers play an important role in the economy and the state needs their services."

Unlike other migrant labourers, brick-kiln workers cannot imagine going on foot as they come with family members.

According to S Naveen, research scholar at the Department of Economics at University of Hyderabad, who has done a study on their livelihood patterns, says, "There are 15 brick-kilns in Serilingampally and in each kiln 10 families work. Each family size is seven members. There is no way they can think of going on foot."

Raghunath Rana, a worker from Balangir says, "We are surviving on a bare minimum. The women are becoming weaker with each passing day. The government needs to come to our rescue."