HYDERABAD: Thousands of workers, mostly from Bihar, left the city for Chhath Puja and have not returned, halting economic activity and affecting the construction sector in particular.
The three-day Chhath Puja, a festival of the Biharis, was celebrated six days after Diwali in honour of the Sun God, starting October 28. Although the festival ended on October 31, the migrant workers remained stranded in their state due to a lack of trains to Hyderabad.
In Hyderabad, there are over 12 lakh Bihari workers, the majority of whom work in various industries such as construction and farm. Hundreds of Bihar migrant workers also work in Telangana's rice mills.
The trains from Bihar to Hyderabad are overcrowded, and there are fewer trains running. Video footage of overcrowded trains on the Dharbanga Express and Dhanapur Express are going viral in the city's Bihari social media groups. According to the Bihar Samaj Seva Sangh, it has approached the railways to request additional train services between Hyderabad and Bihar.
There are only two trains from Dharbhanga to Hyderabad, the Dharbanga Express, which runs weekly and departs at 7.10 am from Dharbhanga and arrives in Hyderabad at 7.20 pm on the second day, and the daily Dhanapur Express, which leaves Dhanapur at 11.15 am and arrives in Hyderabad at 1030 pm the following day, a journey of approximately 35 hours, said a member of the Bihar Samaj Seva Sangh.
The railways' apathy towards increasing train services has severely impacted migrant workers' livelihoods. It is further contributing to a shortage of workforce in Hyderabad since migrant workers are having difficulty returning home.
"There is a huge shortage of manpower in the city. The migrants were supposed to return to Hyderabad from November 5 after the Chhath Puja, but there aren't any trains. These workers are mostly below the poverty line,” said Raju Ojha, national chairman of Bihar Samaj Seva Sangh. More trains should be added to alleviate the plight of migrant workers. They frequently contact the Bihar Samaj Seva Sangh in Hyderabad with their complaints, and they are barely left with enough money to return to work, he said.
Meanwhile, the South Central Railway officials admitted that there is a high demand for these trains, and that most of the trains are packed to capacity. "We are ready to allot more trains from SCR, whereas at Bihar stations, they are not in a position to receive the trains due to a technical issue, and the stations will not have platform availability."
"There are no reservations available, and waiting lists number in the hundreds. We are taking trains to Ghorakpur and then to Secunderabad, which is a much more difficult situation to travel in."
Radhe Sham Prajapathi, a migrant from Bihar, who made Hyderabad his home
"When the sleeper coach was designed for 72 passengers, around 300 passengers were transported, which is equivalent to stuffing into a gunny bag. I had a reserved berth because of three months of planning, but it felt like I was travelling in a general compartment. More trains are needed on this route.”
Manish Tiwari, a migrant from Bihar
