Rajasthan: Amid lockdown fear, workers leaving for their states | Jaipur News

JAIPUR: In what reminds of the exodus last year, the labour migration has started, although these are early days. On Thursday morning, a crowd of about 500 labourers at the India Gate near Sitapura was seen scrambling to get into 100-odd buses bound for Bihar.
Confirming that more and more workers are looking to go back to their towns and villages, transporters associations in the city said that in the past few days about 30 buses are going to various places in Bihar. Earlier, three to four buses would ply regularly.
“It’s not only restricted to Sitapura industrial area only. Factory workers from all industrial areas have started going back to Bihar, UP and other places. In the past three-four days the number of buses going to Bihar has increased to about. Workers are ready to pay double and triple of the normal fare,” said Gopal Singh Rathore, a representative of a city transport association.
But factory owners in Sitapura, VKI and Malviya Nagar industrial areas played down the movement of workers for not creating panic. While they admitted that there is a fear of lockdown among the workers and of getting stuck, they attributed the migration to the upcoming wedding season and Eid celebrations.
“There are some workers who are leaving for their native places even though the numbers are small as of now. But the rush is unlikely to be last year because the train, bus and flight services are open. May be lessons have been learnt from what happened last time. Also, the government understands the consequences of shutting down industries. Some workers will go away but there would be enough to support the industry,” said Vimal Shah, president of Garment Exporters Association of Rajasthan.
In fact, the government has exempted the manufacturing factories from the requirement of running operations with 50% capacity, ensuring continuity in work.
In the railway station, workers could be seen carrying all their bag and baggage. When asked, one of them said he is going to attend a marriage in their family but did not offer an answer why he had to carry all his belongings for this short visit.
Admitting that there is shortage of laborers, Digvijay Dhabriya, chairman of PHDCCI-Rajasthan, an industry in the state, said, “The unmarried workers hailing from a village or town stay in groups in rented accommodations. If two or three leave, their per head expenses increase. The fact that their friends are going home, others also follow suit.
Dhabriya said that those who are going now will not return until the pandemic loses intensity.