Balangir: Parbati Dharua and her husband Navin of Sarmuhan village under Belpada block had migrated to work in a brick kiln in Telangana last year. But, tragedy struck when Navin met with an accident in the kiln and succumbed to burn injuries there.
"The rights activists did their bit to ensure that the kiln owner gave me some financial compensation. But here, in my own district, I am yet to get any help from the district administration. I appeal to the administration to help me out, so that I can run my family," Parbati said.
Parbati's plight came up during a consultation on distress migration organised by the Shramik Adhikar Manch here on Friday.
Srimati Majhi of Andalpuri under Turekela block had become a widow at the age of 20. She said her late husband, Prabhaker Jani who had gone to Hyderabad to work in a brick kiln, had been killed by a labour agent and his goons over some conflicts at a railway station in Telangana. "The labour agent and his goons chased my husband to a railway station In Telangana and brutally killed him. We approached police in Turekela, but they didn't help us. Neither the police registered any case nor was any action taken against the killers. I have also not received any help from the district administration till now," she said.
These were only two cases of the many that get reported frequently in this region.
Sudhir Katiyar, project director of PRAYAS, Centre for Labour Research Action of Rajasthan, said he had studied the distress migration issues of west Odisha and found so much violence attached to the system. "They go out to the distant land for work. But, they are not safe. There is always violence, both physical and mental. They are tortured at the worksites, murdered, women are raped and girls are sexually harassed. Nowhere I have found migrant workers exposed to so many maladies," he said.
Katiyar said the Mathadi model of Maharashtra for the head-loader can be of help to address the issue of migrant workers in west Odisha. "The mathadis (head-loaders) are organised under a welfare board. The model could be an institutional mechanism to address the distress migration of west Odisha," he said.
Balangir district collector Arindam Dakua called upon all to work together to address the issue of distress migration. He said the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme could come handy to address the issue. "This is a historic law, and the job scheme can be of great help to address distress migration," he said.
Bijaya Bohidar, president of Gabeshana Chakra, a Bhubaneswar based organisation, also spoke on the occasion.
