Chennai: With the Ministry of Home Affairs allowing migrant workers to reach home via trains, it has brought cheer to several people. However, some labourers in Chennai wish to go home but only after receiving two months payment from their contractor.
"We want to go home as due to lockdown we have spent all our savings on buying food and paying house rent. However, we first want the State Government to ensure that we get our two months pending salary," Subhojit Ghosh, a construction labourer hailing from West Bengal, told ANI.
Echoing similar sentiments, Krishna Kumar Vishwakarma, a carpenter from Madhya Pradesh working in Chennai, said: "The Centre had announced lockdown to make people follow social distancing. However, we are living in shanty homes with more people than the place actually allows. Besides, we do not have drinking water nor ration. Hence, I request the Tamil Nadu government to help us get our hard-earned money as soon as possible so that we can go home." The stranded labourers had gathered in Mogappair demanding help from the government. The workers were later returned to shelter homes after assurance by the administration.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday allowed the movement of migrant workers, tourists, students and other persons stranded at different places, by special trains.
The order came after several chief ministers requested the Centre to arrange special trains to move stranded migrants to their respective destinations. Earlier, the MHA had allowed the movement of migrants by road only.
