Ujjain:The migrant labourers are bearing the drudgery of forced travelling again. The left for their homes due to uncertainty posed by the lockdown among other restriction imposed, in most cases suddenly, by the states across the country, due to surge in corona cases.
Even amid restrictions on the affordable means of transport like buses the migrant labourers who have gone to Maharashtra and Rajasthan are leaving their workplace to reach home any which way. Corona Curfew is already enforced in Madhya Pradesh and there are restrictions of varying degree in place in Rajasthan.
Twenty-two labourers left from Jodhpur to reach Jharda (Mahidpur). They covered 630 km in three days to reach Ujjain on Wednesday. They are still 70 km away from their destination- Jharda.
Badri, a resident of Narkhedi village in Jharda, told media persons he had left Ramdevra near Jodhpur three days ago. As soon as it was discovered that Rajasthan could also face a lockdown, 22 labourers left the site where they have been working for over two-months and started for their village. They manage to get a lift in a vehicle till Rajasthan border, but as soon as they entered Madhya Pradesh, they had no option but to march ahead on foot due to the prevailing restrictions of Corona Curfew. However, they were not alone in their fight against the circumstances as many Samaritans provided them food and water.
The labourers who reached the Madhya Pradesh borders with vehicles from Rajasthan started walking from there as they could not find the vehicles after Nimbaheda, which is 230 km from Ujjain.
A resident of Jharda Upma Bai said they had to march on foot due to Corona Curfew in Madhya Pradesh. In Ujjain, too, people were seen serving food to such labourers. The labourers shared their story while sipping buttermilk, amid scorching heat, which was provided to them by a social organisation- some respite.
