Serving stranded laborers

By Cyprian Ekka

Ranchi, May 12, 2020: Sonia Gandhi on May 4 declared that Congress would bear the travel expenses of home-bound migrant workers, whom the federal and some stat governments were charging for the train and bus trips.

This announcement rode on the public outrage that set counter agenda to push the government to the brink. A flurry of damage control announcements in the media followed suit sans official confirmation or denial.Meanwhile freshly arriving passengers at a few destinations confirmed in the media that their journey was far from being free.

This is only a sordid sequel to the nationwide lockdown abruptly enforced by the prime minister from March 25 onwards seeking to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as the third phase of declared lockdown is to end on May 17, the builders’ lobby prevailed upon the Karnataka government on May 6 to cancel trains that were to carry starving and desolate construction workers heading to their homes in northern India. Public outcry and protest of the rights activists, however, forced the government to backtrack on the decision.

The unsavory scenario is aptly previewed in the above referred statement of Sonia Gandhi, “Since the partition in 1947 the country for the first time witnessed heart rending scenes of thousands of laborers being compelled to walk thousands of kilometers before reaching their homes.

Their indomitable longing to join their loved ones was prepared to take on acute food shortage, pennilessness, lack of medicine and conveyance. Even the thought of it has jolted every Indian who acclaimed their strong determination.”

Much before Sonia Gandhi’s response, Hemant Soren, the youthful chief minister of Jharkhand, on March 23 directed the labor department to promptly set up a control room in order to flash several toll-free numbers in the media for receiving distress calls. A website on behalf of the government was also launched for accessing the stranded people. In no time it got over 650,000 people registered.

Energetically managed by Johnson Topno of Partenering Hope into Action (PHIA) Foundation and his Covid-19 Response Team, the control room accessed numerous laborers stranded all over the country. The team was constituted of 30 PHIA collaborators and 200 volunteers.

On April 13, Jesuit Father Mahendra Peter Tigga as counselor joined the team that included Balram as mentor, Sunil Minj as reporter, Roshan Kiro as counselor and other social activists.

While financial support from the federal government was hardly adequate, more than 200 institutions and voluntary organizations active in over 600 districts nationwide were approached for help. Significant among them were Christian institutions that promptly and generously rose to the occasion with cash, shelter and food.

In view of linking the distressed laborers with local volunteers particularly in southern India, two Dominican Sisters of the Presentation, Jini Joseph and A Mary Jayanthi were included in the team at Nepal House on April 17.

Their initial phone calls to the stranded people in southern India indicated that more than 90 percent of them were in dire need of food. Hence the Sisters quickly extended their reach virtually to the entire country.

With the help of church catalogues, the two sisters contacted 6,732 prospective Good Samaritans who generously fed 2,204 persons all over the country. Even as the contacts increased, Father Tigga started a nodal office at Satya Bharati, Ranchi, on April 21 and he included 14 collaborators to work with him.

As the Dominican Sisters continued their task, five Ursuline Sisters — Julia George, Punam Lakra, Meenakshi Nivedita Nayak, Sunita Lakra and Lucia Minj — four Daughters of St. Anne — Sunita Baxla, Asrelian Kujur, Leokadia Xess and Eveline Minj — and two Jesuit Fathers Bipin Lugun and Cyprian Ekka and Jesuit seminarian Ashish Digal were added to the team.

While cautioning the group regarding frequent irate telephonic responses of the aggrieved, Father Tigga exhorted the group to exercise maximum restraint and generous compassion. The strategy paid off in creating positive vibrations in the victims of pandemic catastrophe. The team members later said they were moved by the pathetic condition of the stranded laborers.

The task assigned to the team was two-fold: assist the prospective beneficiaries in filling up eligibility form online for receiving 2,000 rupees as help from the Jharkhand government and, secondly, link them in 11 states to local groups of priests, sisters, NGOs, families and friends for food supply.

“Fortunately, in several places one or the other Church group was found actively responding to this rare humanitarian crisis,” said Sister A Mary Jayanthi, adding, “It made us approach them with confidence and to rest assured of their sustained help.”

Where possible, the people’s plight was shared with the team through small video clips as well. “Our successive 5-6 phone calls to every group also reassured the victims of our concern. Having thus intensely worked together for 12 days, the group members now individually accompany them on phone,” she added.

According to official records about 900,000 laborers, including a sizable group of Tribals, work outside the state. While maximum query came from those hailing from the non-Tribal Giridih and Garhwa regions, only 873 Tribals of the entire state sought help from Jharkhand control room.

Was it so because of their illiteracy or that few of them would browse newspapers or that they would wait for additional reassurance from the Church or familiar support groups? The phenomenon may need to be probed.

However, those who got enrolled in the government records through phone calls are likely to receive priority in job/livelihood allocations. Father Tigga informed that the drive will be particularly made favorable to the Tribals.