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Written by Kamaal Saiyed | Surat |
November 27, 2020 11:17:06 pm
Nearly 1,300 powerloom workers from Ganjam district of Odisha returned to Surat on a special train chartered by the Pravasi Shramik Suraksha Manch (PSSM), a labour union wing working below NGO Ajeevika Bureau, on Friday.
Three of the workers who arrived by the “Powerloom Workers Express” early on Friday examined constructive for Covid-19 and had been admitted to Covid Samras Centre at Veer Narmad South Gujarat University. Home First, a Surat-based microfinance firm, sponsored the train tickets for the workers.
Thousands of workers within the textile and diamond industries in Surat left for his or her native locations in the course of the Covid-19 lockdown early this yr.
The NGO working for powerloom workers in Surat discovered that a lot of workers from completely different villages of Ganjam district in Odisha wished to return however couldn’t afford train tickets. The PSSM approached Home First, which agreed to sponsor the train tickets of the workers.
The PSSM additionally met Western Railway authorities who agreed to allot a special train to carry the workers from Odisha to Surat.
Ajeevika Bureau government co-ordinator Sanjay Patel stated, “On Wednesday, we held a meeting with Surat Municipal Commissioner BN Pani and made arrangements to do rapid antigen test (RAT) on workers who are above 40 years old at the Surat railway station. Out of 1,296 workers who returned, RAT was done on around 300, of which three were positive and were shifted to Samras Covid Centre.”
Srikant Raut, Odiya neighborhood chief in Surat, who additionally labored to carry again the labourers from Odisha, stated, “We held a door-to-door survey and identified those who could not afford the train fares. The list was later submitted to Western Railway authorities along with Aadhaar card details for purchasing the tickets.” He added that there have been many extra who had been keen to return.
Uttam Pradhan (32), native of Ganjam district in Odisha, stated, “I left Surat in June by a special Shramik train. Earlier my wife and daughter (5), used to stay with me in a rented house. Now I have left them at my native place, where I was helping my father in the agricultural fields. But the income was not sufficient. I came back to earn some money to educate my daughter so that she doesn’t face such hardships… Once my income is steady, I will bring back my family.”
Prabhakar Pradhan (40), one other powerloom employee who returned, stated, “I was working in a textile factory at Varachha for 10 years and returned to my native place in Ganjam district in May where I was doing petty jobs. I was looking for an opportunity to return but could not afford train tickets. I am thankful to PSSM that they arranged ticket for me. I will work hard and earn some money to pay off the debts I took for my daughter’s wedding.”
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