Kothagudem: Thousands of migrant workers stage dharna

Kothagudem: Tension prevailed for some time at Julurupadu mandal headquarters when the police tried to prevent thousands of migrant labourers going to their villages in different States. Heated argument took place between the labour and police and labour staged a dharna.

Later, the issue was resolved with the initiation of Officer on Special duty (OSD) Kothagudem Atla Ramana Reddy and the police shifted the labourers to Government High School in Patamata Narasapuram village of the same mandal.

According to information, as many as 8,500 migrant workers came to Julurupadu mandal for chilly cutting from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra a few months ago. Though their work was over, they were stuck here due to country wide lockdown. Officials told them to stay for 14 days here and provided 12 kg rice and Rs 500 to 3,112 families out of the 8,500.

But after the State and Central governments extended the lockdown till May 3, they decided to return to their villages as they do not have any work to do and started walking from Khammam on Wednesday morning.

Julurupadu revenue officials came to know about this and shifted them to Julurupadu on tractors. But the workers, who were stubborn to return to their native places, argued with them and staged a dharna also.

After discussions and appeals by Kothagudem OSD Ramana Reddy, the workers agreed to stay. He also assured of providing essential commodities and vegetables to all the labourers till May 3. Later the police and revenue officials shifted them to Government High School.

Meanwhile, this incident caused huge traffic jam on the main road of Khammam to Bhadrachalam.