Migrant workers leave for polls, realty sector hit

Kochi: Construction activities in and around the city have slowed down as migrant workers have left for their home towns to cast votes. Most of the migrants have left a couple of weeks ago as elections are taking place in different phases in their home states.

Apart from the construction sector, other sectors like hotel and hospitality sectors, which hire large number of migrant workers, have also been hit. Political parties have offered sops to families of migrant workers who visit home town to exercise their franchise.

Though many of the migrants are residing and working in Kerala for several years, they are yet to register themselves as a voter here. Persons who migrate to another constituency can be enrolled as a voter by submitting an enrollment form.

Building contractors say that the pace of works has slowed down due to scorching summer and Lok Sabha elections. Muhammad Aslam from Assam who is employed as a skilled labourer at a construction site in city outskirts said that many of his co-workers left for their native place couple of weeks ago.

“Though the elections will end in a day’s time, the workers will take more than a week to return from their native place,” he added.

Meanwhile, there are few other migrants who couldn’t go to their hometown. Shahabuddin from Kolkata didn’t go to his place where elections are held along with Kerala. “I just started working here and I can’t take a break from work now as it will affect my earnings,” he said.

Feroz, another construction worker from West Bengal is sad that he is not able to be a part of electioneering in his constituency as his name is not there in the voters list.  

Most of the migrant workers are from Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Assam.