SATISH HANDA

Although Haryana state government has granted conditional permission to start production in industry in the state, but entrepreneurs are worried over large number of migrant labourers already left or leaving for their native towns in buses and trains arranged by state government predicting to have severe crisis of skilled workers in future. The said, most of experienced workers has already left or planning to leave for their native places and it would be very difficult start production without skilled, trained workers and situation would turn as lock down in their industrial units. According to migrant labourers, the industry was closed down due to lock down declared by the government as such they were forced to stay in shelter homes arranged by the government along with their families at the mercy of government as well as social welfare organizations to get meals and left with no alternative except to leave for their native places to keep themselves and their families alive.

According to Lalit Goel President of Panipat Export Association, more than 50%  migrant workers mostly from U.P, Bihar, M.P and other states has already left for their native towns likely to make situation worst in future due to shortage of labour in their manufacturing units as if lock down has been declared in their factories and the migrant labourers left for their native towns will not return for coming five to six months causing heavy production loss.  He made an appeal to industry entrepreneurs to provide support to their existing workers enabling them not to leave for their native places otherwise industry in the state would suffer a lot. Goel said, out of nearly 20000 industrial units at Panipat in which nearly three lakh workers are employed only 1500 units have been permitted to open their factories and textile industry in the town has already started getting export enquiries from USA and several other European countries willing to place their orders on Indian textile manufacturers instead of manufacturers in China this year. Preetam Sachdeva President of All India Rotor Spinners Association said, the manufacturers has not suffered that much loss due to lock down declared by the government but likely to have too much loss  in case migrant laboueres  leave for their native towns. He blamed industry owners for not extending support labourers found themselves unsecure and took decision to leave for their native places.

Information reveals, nearly two lakh labourers including over 80% hailing from U.P and Bihar states are working in Plywood and Metal industry at twin city Yamunanagar and Jagadhari and most of the migrant labouerers have already left or decided to migrate to their native places because of lock down when they failed to get salary from the employers and compelled to leave to their native places in search of other work, moreover both plywood as well as metal  industries are presently facing acute shortage of raw material and most of plywood manufacturing units have either been closed down or are on the verge of collapse, said Sunder Lal General Secretary Plywood Manufacturing Industry Association  that it was not possible for industry owners already facing financial crisis to pay salaries to the workers in present lock down situation. According to  Wazir Singh President All Escorters Employee Union, although ban over construction work has been lifted by the state government but there is no labour available at brick kilns or construction nsites due to lock down since one and half month, moreover there is no direct link between the owners of brick kilns and labourers usually arranged by the contractor and most of the labourers working at brick kilns left for their native places soon after lock down was declared and started work in agriculture sector in their native towns.

According to state government information, over 23452 migrant labourers working in Haryana state have already been sent to their native places by the government, which include 13347 labourers to U.P, 3133 labourers to Uttarkhand, 3593 labourers to Bihar 435 labourers to Rajasthan,  221 labourers to Punjab, 54 labourers to H.P, 46 labourers to Kerala, 23 labourers to Maharashtra and 19 labourers to Gujarat.  Whereas arrangements are being made to send nearly 23000 migrant lanourers to their native towns in 5000 buses and nearly 100 trains in coming one week on government expenses. Information also reveals that nearly eight lakh migrant labourers in Haryana has applied for registeration with the government requesting to send them to their native towns, which include 82.55% labourers originally hailing from U.P, Bihar, M.P, Jharkhand and Tamilnadu presently working at Panipat, Sonepat, Gurugram, Faridabad, Yamunanagar, Jhajjar and Rewari..