Looking back: Lessons from handling the Goan migrant crisis

The past few months have been traumatic. Jobs have been lost,
salaries slashed and an air of uncertainty is present in the air. Job losses
were across the board and the salaried classes responded in different ways. But
the migrants many of whom are the back engine in the hospitality industry and
the SME’s were left in the lurch. Many were left without money to feed families
or even return home to their villages.  They numbered in the thousands and
the situation was dire. A large group of private citizens and groups stepped in
to assist these people. Poor people were going hungry and children were
sleeping after drinking water and if they were lucky a biscuit. One day when an account is written of the work done by these people,
thousands of names will have to be written in gold perhaps for the time,
expertise, and importantly the sympathy shown to the less fortunate. Nandita a teacher from Sangolda said she got involved because a
painter who had worked for the family a year ago called up requesting help
because he had no food. She said she got together eleven random people who
expressed their interest in helping and got to work. They fed around 11,000
people in six weeks. She admitted that they tried working on several occasions
with the government but it always left them feeling disappointed. A few people
in the government she admitted tried to help her in their private capacity.
Exhaustive data she said was provided to the authorities on seven occasions
because it kept getting misplaced. This was data about people in specific
areas, breakdown of careers, list of seniors, migrants everything and she said
it was misplaced. This was work done by 11 people and the government with
thousands on its payroll could have easily managed this assignment.  The
government, she said was also suspicious of their motives which did not help
matters. She said they named their group MSG because the authorities would not
meet citizens but only groups.  Nandita claimed that if another humanitarian
crisis struck again, the government would still not be able to help. When asked
how this could be made possible, she said it would be very helpful if there was
a one-point contact.  This would mean no running from pillar to post. The
government would have to learn to trust people. The ordinary motivated citizen,
she said could help in many ways and the government could remove the
hurdles.  She ended by saying “I can confidently say that private groups
today have more on-ground information that the state government”. Vijaya Pais of the Goa Humanitarian Helpline said she group had
tried to approach the government on several occasions but there was no
response. She said, “The government is lacking in technology; the people are
not trained and there is miscommunication that takes place”.   She
said the government had way more manpower than private groups and a marriage
between the initiative of private groups and the reach and width available with
governments would be helpful. Another person who was involved in feeding migrants said it
would help if government officials were not so sensitive. She said “Many of
them have such fragile egos and it is like walking on eggshells. We had the
websites, the help groups everything ready in the first week of the pandemic and
we offered it to the government and they refused. They would claim our data was
incorrect. It was ridiculous and an absolute waste of time”. Asked how the two
could work together she said it would help if the authorities were more open to
assistance from NGOs and other similar groups. She said they were feeding
around 2000 per were week and it was based in trust and coordination amongst
the group and this was something perhaps government departments could learn
too. Nupura Hautamaki who is still involved in providing vegetables
to elderly people and the disadvantaged said it was a tragedy the government
and more importantly the panchayat had no idea who was in their area. Nupura
said “We went to answer SOS calls from families saying there were ten people
and when we would turn up it would hundred migrants without food and water.
Many elderly citizens who depend on pensions have not been able to go to the
post office and it meant we had to help them with vegetables and other food
items”. She said when the collector would ask for data from them, it would be
promptly provided. Sadly, nothing would happen with that data. NGO’s she said
had more data on the ground because the state machinery was not sensitive to
the plight of the poor.  She said it was important for the partnership to
be both ways and the government could help the NGOs and other groups by
removing hurdles. She said they were helping people in a shelter in Bambolim
but after a day or two, they were not allowed by the state machinery. Betterunderstanding
between the two, she said would help everyone. She ended by saying, the groups
involved were not interested in taking any credit and the government could do
so for a successfully handled exercise. The memories are still fresh and one can only hope it is never
repeated again.