New bicycles only to reach home

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, May 18

Migrant farm labourers, who got stuck in Punjab due to sudden announcement of lockdown in view of Covid-19, seem desperate to go back home. Unable to find a place in Shramik trains so far, many of them are now determined to head back home even if it meant pedalling down hundreds of miles.

Varinder Mohto of Bihar says he has been receiving calls from his parents every day. “My elderly parents want me to return home immediately. Now, I have decided to move on, come what may,” he said.

In fact, Mohto and 12 other migrants started their return journey on their newly purchased bicycles from Hoshiarpur today. They would have to pedal over 1,200 km to reach their native places, they said. They had to spend a major portion of their savings on purchasing new bicycles.

These migrants had arrived here during the sugarcane season. They had planned to go back home in April, but couldn’t do so due to the announcement of lockdown.

Prabhu Manjhi, a sexagenarian migrant, also purchased a new bicycle to go back to Bettiah district in Bihar. “My home district is over 1,200 km from here. I know it will be very difficult for me to ride a bicycle for 1,200 km, but I am sure my fellow workers will help me out,” he said.

Inderjit Puri, owner of Puri Cycles, Hoshiarpur, from where these migrants purchased their bicycles, said he had been getting orders for bicycles from migrants desirous of heading back to their native places.

“In the absence of workers, it is not easy for me to ready bicycles in bulk. I have been advising them to wait until some arrangement is made for them by the government and avoid going by bicycles,” he said.