The house of Kajal Dash Tandi of Jholpathar village in Nuapada district is locked since last year. Grasses and bushes in the small front yard with a fence of twigs prove that no one has entered even into this open space for months. Three thorny branches of Ber tree (locally known as Kanta Jhap) at the entrance of the fence reveal that Kajal has left home with his family as a “Dadan”(migrant labourer).
“Kajal, with his wife and four children left home in November 2014 with a Sardar (labour contractor), named Keshari Deep of Muribahal village in Balangir district to work in a brick kiln in Andhra Pradesh. We have not heard of the family since then,” say the villagers.
“Kajal’s 15- year-old son Dinesh stayed at home to appear class X exams, but he also left home after two months without appearing the exams due to lack of food,” they add. Dukhuram Tandi, with his wife Phatu and four children had accompanied the Sardar on the same day for the unknown destination. They have also not returned. “As a practice, they should have returned in Baisakh, but a year has already passed and now we do not know about their whereabouts. When other labourers of our village returned during the survey of Food Card, I thought that my brother would also return home, but he didn’t,” said Gorna, brother of Dukhuram.
It is learnt that labour broker ‘Keshari Deep’ left these families near Dija Sagaria of Muribahal village, who in turn handed over the labourers to the main contractor Purun Bag of Khutlamunda village. “They were taken to Paida Palli of Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh. “However, we don’t know in which kiln they are working” says Gorna.
“We worship our deities and pidar (Forefathers) during Nuakhai, but this year we could not do it as they are locked in the house of my elder brother,” said Gorna. “I apprehend something wrong with my brother and his family, otherwise they must have come during Nuakhai,” he adds.
Both Kajal and Dukhu are landless Dalit families of Jholpathar village. They manage to get work in the village during Kharif operations, but after November when employment opportunity reduces, they are forced to migrate. The labour brokers reap the benefit of this vulnerable situation.
“We think that our people are in trouble. The brokers must have taken big amount of advance from the brick kiln owners,” apprehend the relatives of the migrants.
