B’luru yet to witness reverse migration of labourers, but fear of lockdown lurks

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru division of the South Western Railway (SWR) has been releasing statements and photographs over the last week to debunk several videos claiming large crowds at railway stations in the city

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru division of the South Western Railway (SWR) has been releasing statements and photographs over the last week to debunk several videos claiming large crowds at railway stations in the city. One such video claimed that the overcrowding was because of a second wave of the reverse migration from the city to various parts of the state. However, the Railways, industry experts and activists claim that unlike Mumbai and New Delhi, Bengaluru was yet to witness mass reverse migration like last year.

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Ashok Kumar Verma, Divisional Railway Manager, Bengaluru Division, clarified that there was no rush or overcrowding at the railway station, adding that the department was running enough trains to cater to the demand. “As per the request from the Karnataka government, we had operated 20 extra trains in the view of Ugadi, festival holidays and strike by State Road Transport Corporation employees. We are ready to run more trains if required. There is no extra demand for trains,” he said.

A senior SWR official, who did not wish to be named, said many of the trains, especially those running to north India, are not full during their trips. “Last year, there was a huge demand with many waiting for days to get a train, but the situation is much different now. If there was a mass movement of people, we would be first to know,” said the official.

Gayathri Vasudevan, CEO and co-founder of LabourNet, a Bengaluru-based social enterprise working in the unorganised sector, said those who left Bengaluru during the last lockdown are still returning. “We have been organising buses from various parts of the state to bring labourers back to Bengaluru and many are opting for these buses. So, if you ask, so far there is not big reverse migration,” she said.

She, however, added that any fear of the lockdown could adversely affect this process. “People leaving Bengaluru to various parts during Holi and other festivals is common. But if there is a sense of fear of a lockdown among workers…many who left won’t come back and there could be reverse migration,” Vasudevan said.

K Mahantesh, national secretary of the Construction Workers Federation of India, said, “While there is no big movement so far, workers are very careful. Many were stuck without jobs or food last time and they don’t want to be in a similar situation again. So, it is up to the government to give the right assurances,” he said.

The availability of transportation is the difference between last year and this, said Chandrabhushan Sahani, who had hitchhiked to Bihar from Bengaluru during the 2020 lockdown. He added that he had no choice but to return to Bengaluru. “There were not enough jobs back home, so we returned. Now, trains are still running. That is a good sign. We can go anytime we need. But we are unsure if they will shut it down. There is a lot of talk about a lockdown,” he said.

Karnataka labour minister Shivaram Hebbar said the government does not believe in extreme steps, like lockdown. “The chief minister has made it clear, and we will take care of those working in our state,” he said.