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Shelter homes in Ludhiana just have 1% occupancy
Most migrant workers have opted to return to their one-room rented accommodations.
Despite having a capacity to house thousands of people, the shelter homes setup by the administration to aid migrant workers across the district wear a deserted look.
Most migrant workers have opted to return to their one-room rented accommodations instead of the shelters. Ludhiana, the financial capital of the state and hub of cycle, hosiery, sewing machine and small-scale cycle parts industries, is home to 20 lakh migrant workers. Most workers stay at Focal Point, Giaspura, Dholewal Chowk, Vijay Nagar, Barewal Road and Mundian.
After the lockdown was imposed, the administration had announced that at least 50 shelter homes will be created with a capacity to house 35,000 people. Later, the administration confirmed that 57 shelters had been established. However, the shelters only have 1% occupancy.
The Radha Soami Satsang Beas had also opened doors to its Satsang Bhawans across the city after curfew was imposed. There are 10 Satsang Bhawans but migrant workers are availing only three of its bhawans at Kadian village, Kailash Nagar, Bajra Road and Tibba Road. At present, the three bhawans are sheltering, 97, 174 and 95 migrants, respectively.
The staff managing the Satsang Bhawans said police officials drop migrant workers at the bhawan, following which they take care of their shelter and food and ensure that social distancing is being observed.
A number of migrant workers have also taken shelter at gurdwaras. A visit to the night shelters setup by the municipal corporation near the clock tower and Vishwakarma Chowk on Wednesday showed that no one had sought refuge there.
Labourers say police not allowing them to go to shelters
However, a group of eight labourers, on their way to Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib, was seen moving crossing the Jagraon Bridge on Wednesday. The labourers said they could not go anywhere as they had no means of transportation and the police were not allowing them to go from one place to the other as they suspected that they may start moving to their home towns on foot.
One the migrant workers, Manu, was stranded in Ludhiana while he was en route to West Bengal from Solan.He has been seeking refuge at a gurdwara in the interim.
“I worked as a cook at a hotel in Solan. I reached Ludhiana a day before the railways suspended its operations and now I have no place to stay,” said Manu.
Another labourer, Prince, who works at a restaurant near Subhani Building, said the owner had just shown the workers the door when the government imposed curfew. “We are unable to go to shelters established by the administration as the police are not allowing us to move at all, fearing that we may try to go to our native places on foot. They stop us at every check post and beat us up for being out amid curfew,” he said.
Most labourers are confined to labour quarters as the police had earlier directed the industry to provide them with subsistence allowance so that they could fulfil their daily needs. The administration had also directed the owners of labour quarters to not ask labourers for rent for a month.
Ration and food is also being distributed among the needy by the administration and different NGOs.
Deputy commissioner Pradeep Agrawal said the inflow of migrants to the homes was much more last week but their number had considerably reduced now as they had reportedly gone back to their quarters.
“We have created the facility but the number of migrants staying there is low as they prefer staying in their homes or quarters. With strict curfew restrictions, we have successfully managed to confine them and have also been sensitising them to stay indoors and maintain social distancing,” he said.
