Guest workers stage protests, seek return to homes

More than 300 migrant workers thronged Tirupur railway station on Monday demanding that authorities make arrangements for their safe passage to their home states by train.

The workers are part of the 1.5-lakh migrant force, stuck in the hosiery hub of Tirupur due to lockdown.

Their essential requirements including food and basic needs were fulfilled by the district administration and volunteers.

Similarly, a large number of migrant workers descended at the Erode collector office demanding to send them to their home towns.

The migrant population, who were hopeful of returning to their native villages after the Centre asked the state governments to facilitate their movement, were left disappointed and turned restive as nothing materialised.

More than 300 workers hailing from Bihar, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh gathered near Tirupur railway station in the morning demanding the district administration to help them reach their native places.

On receiving information, the officials of the Revenue department and police rushed to the spot and held talks. Migrant labourers lamented that they have been toiling without proper food and struggling to pay rent for their accommodation. They also expressed their willingness to be with their families.

After talks, the migrant workers were divided into groups and taken to three places arranged by the police. There, the personal information of the workers was collected by the police.

Meanwhile, Tirupur Collector K Vijayakarthikeyan said the district administration is collecting information on the migrant workers staying in the district and who want to return. “The information will be fed to the website and efforts would be taken by the government to send them back,” he said.