Migrants In Mumbai, Stuck Between Hunger And COVID-19, Seek To Go Home

Migrant workers in Mumbai have been waiting to go back to their respective villages since the announcement of a nationwide lockdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to curb the spread of COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus, on March 24.

Some of them even started the journey back home, while others waited for the lockdown to be lifted on April 14.

With the lockdown extended till May 3, however, the wait is long and money is short for the migrants. They fear that hunger and not the coronavirus will take their lives.

Brajesh Kumar, who is from Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj district, came to Mumbai about 6-7 months ago in search of work. His job as a cable mechanic earns him Rs 100-150 a day. He stays with his newly-wed bride in an 8x8 room in Mumbai's Mankhurd slums.

Mr Kumar's ailing mother is back in his village and he wanted to visit her. But, the lockdown thwarted his plans. "My mother's condition is not good. She has heart issues. She was asking me to come home. I had booked a ticket for March 25. But I couldn't go. And now, her condition is deteriorating. No one is there to take care of her. What can I do?" He asks.

Brajesh is not alone. Santosh Pandey, a rickshaw driver from Uttar Pradesh, stays with his family of 6 in a one-room house in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area. With lockdown in place since March 25, he is finding it difficult to arrange food for his family.

A few days ago, a friend of Mr Pandey helped with some rice and dal, and now, 100 gm remains of that.

"We are ready to follow the government order and all the guidelines. But, we can do so only if we remain alive. We will die out of hunger. There is no provision for ration here. My only request to the government is either give us ration or send us to our villages," he said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had earlier tried to calm the migrants workers in the state, appealing to them to remain where they are while promising them food.

But, for many migrant workers, patience is running thin.

"I am facing a lot of problems. I have no food, no money, no work. I have 8 people living together in a room. If I don't earn, what will they eat?" asks another migrant Kamruddin from Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur.

Prime Minister Modi, while extending the lockdown, said after April 20, the districts that are not virus hotspots will be allowed to resume some industrial, construction and manufacturing activities. The move is expected to engage migrant labourers at the project site and ease the crisis, caused by COVID-19, a bit.