70,000-80,000 labourers stay put in Mumbai, assured of free food – Times of India

MUMBAI: Of the estimated two lakh migrant workers in Maharashtra affected by the lockdown, more than half are currently on the road, attempting to make their way to hometowns in other states. But to the government’s relief, at least 70-80,000 labourers, many of them living on construction sites in Mumbai, Navi-Mumbai, Raigad, Thane and Palghar, have stayed put, heeding the call to comply with restrictions on movement.
CM Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday spoke to the PM, home minister Amit Shah and CMs of a few states to assure them that his government would provide the displaced migrants free food and shelter.
Shiv Bhojan Thali for ?5, shelters in govt facilities
In a televised address, the chief minister declared that the cost of the Shiv Bhojan Thali, a food programme for the poor, would be reduced from Rs 10 to Rs 5 with immediate effect.
With chief minister Thackeray intent on sealing interstate borders in line with the national strategy to combat the pandemic, all six divisional commissioners in Maharashtra and the respective district collectors have opened up camps inside government facilities to house those who have already begun moving.
“I request all migrant workers and labourers to stay where they are. My government will provide you free food and shelter for the entire lockdown period. We have set up 163 food centres,” he said in a message.
Chief secretary Ajoy Mehta has said the state government is still compiling data on the number of migrant labourers and workers at different locations in the state. Director general of police Subodh Kumar Jaiswal said as per the directives of the ministry of home affairs, law-enforcing agencies would ensure that these workers stayed put at their current location. “We will implement the orders issued by the ministry of home affairs,’’ Jaiswal told TOI. Under the latest directives issued by the Centre, inter-district borders have also been sealed in order to contain the spread of the virus.
Konkan divisional commissioner, Shivajirao Daund, said all-out efforts have been made to ensure no migrant labour or worker defies the Central government directives. “We have made arrangements to provide food and shelter to nearly 40,000 migrant workers and labourers. Special shelter camps have been set up and I am personally monitoring the situation. Several NGOs have come forward with aid too,” he said.
Daund said 3,000 workers from Kalbadevi, 1,600 from Palghar and 2,000 from Thane had approached the administration with requests for permission to go to Rajasthan and Gujarat. Most of them appeared to be diamond industry workers.
Thackeray, in his address, expressed hope that people from Maharashtra, who were stranded in other states, too would remain where they are. He assured them he would speak to the chief ministers of those states to oversee their arrangements.
Labour commissioner Mahendra Kalyankar said till Sunday afternoon, his department had tracked 56,084 construction workers in Mumbai, Navi-Mumbai, Raigad, Thane and Palghar. “They have stayed back at construction sites where they were working. Many others have left for their hometowns and we are in the process of tracking them,” Kalyankar said.
S Srirangam, CEO, Maharashtra Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board, said they would relaunch the mid-day meal kitchen under the Atal Ahar Yojana. “We have already told developers to provide us information on number of workers on site. So far, we have got information about 50,000 construction workers in Pune, 25,000 in Mumbai and 11,000 in Thane. We will be able to provide them food in the next two to three days,’’ he said. Development commissioner, Pankaj Kumar said builders have been asked to provide food and shelter to migrants.

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