MUMBAI: They didn't hear from authorities for almost a month, often local police officers drove them away asking them to not get back. Tired and hopeless on the administrative system, a group of labourers took responsibility on their own hands and decided to get back to their home town on their own.
A group of labourers hailing from West Bengal were struggling to make their end meet ever since the lockdown was imposed. Even after CM Thackeray assured the assistance of the state government to ensure the well-being of these workers, things didn't change for the better for them.
They went to police stations to register their names and contacted local civic officials, who only made them waiting.
Tired of all the uncertainty, these labourers reserved a bus and decided to get back to their hometown via road.
"We contacted civic officials and local police officers, however, they were unresponsive and seemed not very interested in helping us. I started tracking down other labourers in the city who are stuck in different parts and decided to do something collectively," said Iqbal Shaikh, a labourer from West Bengal's Nadia district.
"We were restless and couldn’t wait for long after the Amphan cyclone broke out last week. We could track 35 labourers stuck in different parts of Mumbai and decided to take things on our own way," Shaikh added.
The Central government in lockdown 4.0 had allowed inter-state travel. This new relaxation gave them the push. Shaikh sent out SOS and contacted other stranded migrants through WhatsApp and calls.
There were 35 of them from various age groups, thus they booked a conventional 45 seater bus. Each labourer had to pay Rs 7,500 per seat which was indeed a huge amount considering the primary economic distress these daily wage workers are going through.
"I had only Rs 200 left with me after paying the fare. Our earnings were stopped for the last three months and this was all that was left. We had to get back to our home or else we would have died over here because nobody was paying any attention to us," said Ratan Das, a labourer from Murshidabad, West Bengal.
"The amount we paid was more than our monthly earnings. But we had to pay it or else we would never be able to go home. The government is ignorant about us labourers," said Dinu Mondal.
"We were mentally fatigued and above everything, this storm came and hit us hard. All our patience got withered away because we were unable to contact home," said Abdul Khan, another labourer.
The bus journey took the labourers more than 72 hours to reach Bengal. Travelling on the road in the summer was tiresome, as there was no dhabas or toilets that were open where they could refresh themselves. Alongside this, the hot summer winds made the drivers fatigued.
"The journey was hectic. It was very hot and we were drained. There was no food for us. However, in Chattisgarh and Maharashtra, there were volunteers who had set up community kitchens. They appeared like messiahs to us and gave us food for free," recalls Shaikh.
The labourers started off on May 25 and reached their respective districts on May 30. Once they reached home, the labourers felt relaxed, which was, however, short-lived.
Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee launched 'Sneher Paras' app which would give monetary help of Rs 1,000 to the stranded migrant labourers. After returning many of them went to claim the amount from the local Panchayat office. However, they were told things will take some months.
"I downloaded the app and provided all the details last month. I also contacted the local panchayat office after I came back but they said it will take some months and drove us away," said a labourer.
"The panchayat officers are not saying any details. They are saying that they are unsure whether we will get the money" said another labourer.
"Many of them have contacted us and gave their details. However, the government is working on it and it will take some time as Bengal is fighting two disasters presently, the COVID-19 and aftermath of cyclone," said a village Panchayat officer of Bengal.
