‘State spent Rs 2.15 cr compensation over death of migrant workers’

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Samirul Islam, who is also the chairperson of the West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board, said on Monday that the Mamata Banerjee government has spent Rs 2.15 crore as compensation for families of migrant labourers who died in accidents outside the state, provided the deceased were registered on the “Karma Sathi” (Parijayee Shramik) portal.

Addressing a Press conference, Islam said 218 cases had been resolved under the scheme and the funds were used for bringing back bodies of deceased workers and performing their last rites. He claimed that West Bengal is the only state in the country to have launched a dedicated portal for the welfare of migrant labourers.

“About 76 bodies have been brought back to the state under arrangements made by the state government. Earlier, when migrant labourers died in other states, family members were often unable to bring back the bodies,” Islam said.

He added that after the Mamata Banerjee government came to power, a helpline number (18001030009) and a WhatsApp number (7603091122) were introduced to assist migrant workers and their families.

Islam said the state government has also appointed a nodal officer in Delhi and formed committees with designated officers in every district. According to him, around 1,143 workers have contacted the helpline numbers so far.

He further claimed that around 95 groups of migrant workers, each comprising five to ten members, had faced assaults in other states. “One worker was beheaded in Pune, while another was lynched in Mumbai. The latest victim was Juyel Rana, who died in Odisha,” Islam alleged. He also said that the party was not allowed to raise these issues in Parliament. Islam said the Migrant Welfare Board has moved the Supreme Court of India against 12 BJP-ruled states, alleging that a conspiracy was hatched in those states to prevent Bengali-speaking migrant labourers from working there.

He claimed that after the case was filed in the apex court, incidents of torture against migrant workers from Bengal in other states had seen a slight decline. However, he said fresh incidents of atrocities against migrant labourers were again being reported from states such as Odisha and Assam.