Migrant labourers hold protest to press for early evacuation from Jammu

A group of migrant workers on Tuesday assembled near the Bhagwati Nagar area of the city and held a protest to press for their early evacuation to their homes in different parts of the country, officials said.

The protesters, including both men and women, later dispersed off peacefully after senior police officers rushed to the spot and persuaded them to end the protest, they said.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration had already started the process of transportation of migrant workers from various districts of the union territory and had so far sent back nearly 18,000 workers to their states and UTs through Shramik special trains from Katra since May 19.

"We want the government to take us home as soon as possible. We do not want to stay back," Guru Ram Yadav, a labourer from Chattisgarh, said.

Amid high pitch sloganeering by the group in support of the demand for their early return to their homes, Yadav said he had only Rs 20 left in his pocket and is surviving the ongoing lockdown by begging for food from the local residents.

Another worker from the Bilaspur area of Chattisgarh said they have filled up forms several times over the past week but no action was taken so far, prompting them to come on the roads.

"We are apprehensive that the situation will take a long time to get normalised and, therefore, we just want to reach our homes. There are also rumours about suspension of all modes of transport for one year," she said.

She said they want to reach their home states as the lockdown has made their lives miserable.