SC notification, Kerala returnees deepens Assam's migrant crisis

The world has been battling the unprecedented covid19 crisis, which has totally demolished the comfortable status quo of the world. Various sectors and their inherent flaws have been exposed. In Assam, among other things, the corona pandemic has highlighted the money order economy of the state and the dependency of our migrants staying outside.

The dependency of migrants

The Assam diaspora is spread throughout the country from Delhi, Mumbai to Kerela. In the southern states of Karnataka, Kerela and Tamil Nadu, there are lakhs of migrants and they are both skilled and unskilled. All of them have faced problems amid the pandemic, with wage cuts, downsizing but the situation is a bit different in Kerela. In Kerela, Odisha, Assam and West Bengal workers are in highest as their local population employ their trade outside India in UAE and other West Asian countries. Ever since the covid19 outbreak, these local migrants have returned back to their states. This has established the equilibrium of the state.

Speaking to Inside Northeast, Amaljyoti Chaliha works in a rubber factory in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. There are industry talks going about hiring only the locals after they come out of the quarantine centres which the worried the diasporic workers. "We have started functioning for more than a month back, there was not much of a problem. But, now we might have to leave work if they stop employing us, although our owners have not said anything so far".

Also read: Assam Congress takes a dig at Govt over ‘inactive’ role in containing COVID-19

Along with that, the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday passed directions in the suo moto case taken on the crisis of migrant workers during the lockdown. One of those directions was, all States and UTs to identify stranded migrants and transport them back to native places within 15 days. The Apex court was right to say, "What we propose to do is that we will give you (Centre) and the states 15 days time to transport all migrants. All states will have to bring on record how they will provide employment and other kinds of relief. There should be a registration of the migrants", the bench had observed, as reported by live Law.

How things have disseminated?

Amid the well-intended nature of SC to take stock of the crisis, the workers are tensed that if they don't return within these 15 days, they will be stranded further and the one who has jobs might lose them due to the aforementioned locals returning. Nilamani Deka from Mongoldoi, who works in a pipe company said, "tension has increased and more people now want to go back". Around 1200 to 1500 have returned back from Kerala to Assam but many stranded are now demanding Shramik Trains to take them back. Another worker named Montu Dutta who even runs a page on Assamese-Kerala migrants is himself confused. "We are getting jobs after a long time and now this SC thing has scared everyone here, we don't understand that much of English either". Amid those rumours, an important question arises as well. Why are they apprehensive of being sent back compulsorily?

The lack of alternative for migrants

"Every day we get around Rs 800/900 here but in Assam, we only get Rs 300 for the same work", says Simanta Gogoi, from Lakhimpur. "It is not just money, our own Assamese owners prefer cheap outside labours over us as they can exploit them more". The lack of professionalism in Assam's organise sector and the ability to provide mass employment is the reason workers prefer to stay in Kerela and other South-India states. "Who wants to stay away from home, if we can work here 12 hours a day here, the same we can back in home and help develop Assam. But, there's no respect there", said Gogoi

Another dimension

Although there is a return of normalcy, a lot of people have been jobless who are trying since months to head back home. Nilamoni says, his friends can't afford a flight and they need to be given trains. This episode has brought to the forefront the privilege of crisis situations just like the movie Titanic, when the upper class were rescued first, Yes, indeed there has been free trains taking back labour but it has surely miscalculated Assam's numbers outside and definitely its own unemployment concerns.

Readers like you make Inside Northeast’s work possible.

To support our brand of fearless and investigative journalism, support us HERE.

Download:

The Inside Northeast app HERE for News, Views, and Reviews from Northeast India.

Do keep following us for news on-the-go. We deliver the Northeast.