Mangaluru: A shameful incident of the labour department distributing rotten rice to stranded migrant workers has come to light.
Several migrant workers from various parts of the country, who had come to Mangaluru in search of greener pastures, were left in the lurch during the lockdown as they had no work and, therefore, no income.
A couple of days ago, at least 1,500 migrants protested in the Surathkal area. However, pacifying them, the labour department sent them back and supplied them with 100 bags of rice weighing 5 kgs each to these workers.
On Wednesday, the workers complained that only a few bags of rice were fit for consumption, while several packs opened today were spoilt and rotten.
Speaking to newskarnataka.com, DYFI State President Muneer Katipalla questioned if the district administration is alive or dead.
“We know that at least 30,000 migrant workers are in Mangaluru, who had come to work for MSEZ, MRPL, airport authority etc. They are all on the streets and no authorities are helping them,” he said adding that claims that these workers will be sent home through by using the Seva Sindhu are a scam.
These workers do not know how to reach back home. They have no information about what the government has to offer them. They are all falling prey to rumours.
“If someone says there is a train at 4 am tomorrow, hundreds of them will start walking towards the station. There is nobody to handle the issue systematically. The police are here trying to handle the situation single-handedly,” he said.
Over the last few days, the DYFI members have been feeding at least 200 of the stranded migrant workers at their Jokatte camp.
“Our district administration cannot handle the migrant workers, they cannot handle flight passengers. Our DC doesn’t come out on the field, she doesn’t believe in responding to phone calls. Where are we even heading?” a frustrated Muneer asked.
