Mumbai: Vaishali Shrikant Patil-BJP Corporator -Ward No-122 shares her views on the migrant labourers issue amid Covid-19 induced lockdown with Hello Mumbai News reporter Syed Nazia
Mumbai: The migrant story has been one of the biggest learnings of the Covid-19 pandemic. Migrants are the people who build our cities, huge structures, keep our economy growing. But their lot has been the worst.
At this pathetic plight of the migrants, Hello Mumbai News reporter Syed Nazia interacts over phone with Vaishali Sukant Patil-BJP Corporator -Ward No-122 to get the facts about the migrant labourers.
Have we not ever visualized the plight of the migrants while we sit at home and watch Netflix and chill in the coolness of an air-conditioner? Why are these migrants being denied of the basic rights of humanity ? They aren’t birds to return to their nests at the dawn of dusk. After all they are humans and need to be handled in a humane manner.
While we all were busy stocking our favourite delicacies for a lavish and gratifying lockdown these people are barely left penniless and without a Morsel of food. . Even as we are confined to the four walls im our house amid the lockdown, the migrants are in the open. With this they are not only inviting the disease but starving in poverty, The people who fill the missing parts of a nation are now reduced to smithereens and leading to depression, helplessness, mournful and a sorrowful life.
A normal individual cant even stand for even for five minutes in the sun, but these lot are left in the sultriness of the sun .
Speaking to Syed Nazia Vaishali opines that the government could have collected authentic data of every individual migrant and segregated it into their hometowns , availability of trains, daily wages so that it could be better handled.
According to Vaishali, arranging for the commute of the migrants is just going in vain. The migrants are scattered everywhere and it is technically and physically not feasible to keep a track of each and every individual .
She further adds that the economy is slowing down to such an extent that reviving it would be a big task for the government.
In her views, she articulates that a the migrants can remain without food for couple of days, but the covid 19 appears to be just nothing in comparision to starvation and poverty problem which is still number one cause of problem in our nation.
How do we battle the disease if the soldiers of the nation are sick? They have been deprived of the basic amenities of life. They have been ignored and neglected as if they are not humans but just workers.who repairs the broken machines? The lockdown was so abrupt, itsn’ t possible for everyone to handle it – the people whose revenue is dependant on the daily wage workers basis are now penniless. The the government need to provide enough food and money irrespective of their ration card holdings because ration cards were issued when earning was in flow, but as of now everything is at standstill.
She urges the government to re-open ration shops for all. She has been playing a very active role amid the lockdown by providing as many food kits as possible which mostly includes khichdi. She distributes nearly 200 food kits at one time which usually varies as per the need of the people .
News Report by Syed Nazia
News Edit by K.V.Raman
