In Chandigarh, Migrant Labourers Say "Cannot Sit Idle"

A day after migrant labourers took to streets in Gujarat and Maharashtra demanding a return to their native places, their counterparts in Chandigarh agreed and said they "cannot sit idle" for too long. Staying near a pavement in the heart of the city, these labourers from Bihar's Darbhanga said that they cannot afford to sit idle, even when they were being provided food by the district administration. An 18-year-old teen who spoke to NDTV said that he has spent all his money and can't stay in Chandigarh without his family. Another person said that the quality of food provided by the administration is of substandard quality. "If we go back to our native place, we can at least work there in the fields and earn some money. How can we sit here idle, knowing very well that my family stays far away and I can't even send them money," said another labourer from Darbhanga. Chandigarh police refuted their claims and said that the food provided to the migrants is hygienic.