Odisha Migrant Labourers In Chennai Seek Govt Help To Return Home

Bhubaneswar: As many as 17 migrant labourers from Odisha’s Khurda district, who were taken to work in Chennai, have sought the intervention of the state government for their rescue and safe return to home.

According to sources, one Jagannath Das, who works as a contractor in Chennai, had assured the labourers, including 14 from Haripur village and 3 from Chhatarapur village of the district, of providing them construction work on daily basis with lucrative wages.

Convinced by the assurance of Jagannath, the labourers left for Chennai early this year. After paying the wages to the labourers for initial few months, the contractor stopped making the payment. As they were working under the supervision of Jagannath, the labourers approached him to make the payment, but he allegedly did not listen to their pleas.

The labourers said they had not been paid their wages for July and August. While each labourer’s due of Rs 12,000 is pending, each mason is yet to get Rs 20,000. Besides, they were living in unhygienic conditions and had to sustain with meagre food provided to them, the sources said.

Since the labourers do not have money to come back to their homes, they have appealed to the Odisha government and Khurda district administration to rescue them and help them get their wages or make arrangement for their return to their villages.