Issues snowballing during the lockdown period are now turning around some of the accepted views of the people. For years Goa has debated the migrants question, with a section of the people strong in the opinion that migration into the State has to be curtailed. There would even be those who would have wanted no migrants, but as Goa gets into the Green Zone and business begins to open up, the question of migrant workers returns, but with an entirely new twist. The question that has to be answered now is not whether Goa wants migrants, but how desperate is the State’s need for the migrant workers.
Goa is very suddenly facing the prospect of having over 80,000 stranded migrant labourers wanting to return to their home State. This has led to none other than the Chief Minister urging the labourers not to leave Goa, which is classified as ‘Green Zone’ and so economic activity is allowed. His reasoning in asking them to stay back cannot be faulted. There is a lot of work to be done in the State – PWD projects, pre-monsoon preparations, construction and developmental projects, that could all come to a standstill if the labourers enmasse make their way across the borders. Till now, 80,000 labourers have registered with the State government seekign to return home. If these, and others go, there would be a shortfall of around a lakh of workers in the State, and what would be the effect on development projects and on the construction sector?
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For the past six weeks the real estate and construction sectors have been completely shut. Just when the State begins to open for business, we find that there could be a massive shortfall of staff. The losses of the past seven weeks could well get some more added up for a number of sectors for a few more weeks, if they are unable to get work started due to the lack of labour. Goa, currently has a number of public development projects lined up, including the bridge over River Zuari and the approach roads, as well as the highway expansion. If there is an exodus of migrants, this could delay the works by a few more weeks.
The facts are simple: Goa has almost a lakh of workers who want to go back home; if the workers exit the State they won’t be able to return anytime soon; when they do return they will be placed in quarantine for a period of 14 days; persons who have no permanent address are not allowed to enter the State; there are a number of pending works in the State; in a few weeks the monsoon will start and the farming operations will begin. The corollary is: what happens to those works if Goa does not have the required labour available? At the current moment the best possible way out for the workers would be to stay in Goa and get back to work. The economy is opening up so there are jobs. In their home States – if these are in the red of orange zones – they will not get work, and will also remain quarantined at home. It makes more sense for them to stay back in Goa.
The migrants debate had taken off last year in July, August when two trainloads of migrant workers had arrived on consecutive Mondays, bust before the trawlers would go out to sea again, and when the construction sector would pick up after the rains subside. The fact is simple, as long as there is work there will be migrants coming. Goa has work at the moment and it needs the migrant workers to take up the works. Should it allow the migrant workers to leave the State?
