August 10, 2026

Karnataka Government's Outrageous And Unpardonable Decision To Ask For Cancellation Of Trains For Migrant Workers

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2020-05-06 19:20:06

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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

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It is absolutely shocking that the Karnataka government has asked the railways to cancel trains that were to ferry migrant workers back home. Earlier, the state chief minister BS Yediyurappa had issued an appeal to such workers to remain in the state and start earning their living again as construction and other activities, where they were mainly employed, had resumed. That was the correct way to go about the problem of the exodus of, and hence the shortage of, migrant workers. If some workers felt that it was an opportunity for them to earn a living again after a corona-induced break, they would have stayed back. But cancelling trains and not allowing them to exercise the choice of going back is dictatorial behaviour. The Congress is right in saying that these workers cannot be kept "captive" and the government cannot treat them as "bonded labour" or slaves.

The Karnataka government must realize that the country is passing through difficult times. All families are concerned about the well-being of their dear ones. Earning a living is not the prime concern now. Safety is. Hence, migrant workers would now want to go back to their homes and be with their families. In any case, such workers normally do not come looking for work on their own. They are brought to different states by the ubiquitous labour contractors. The government must understand that if there is work, there cannot be a vacuum. If this set of workers decides to go back, the contractors will manage to get another set of workers. There might be a gap of some days, but workers will arrive and work will resume.

Also, this is an opportunity for people from home states to get employed. In the past, there were many demonstrations in various states when local people had claimed that workers from out of state were taking away their jobs. If there is a large scale exodus of migrant workers now, it should be seen as an opportunity for local people to fill the vacancies. The Karnataka government should encourage locals to take up jobs in sectors where there is a shortage of workers due to this exodus, till the contractors manage to get another set of migrant workers. But it cannot create a situation where these workers have to remain in Karnataka against their wishes by cancelling trains. This is outrageous and unpardonable.