The Labour department’s latest circular effectively restricting the direct allocation from the revolving fund for dispatching bodies of migrant workers back to their home States to victims without dependents in Kerala, while limiting to a reimbursement mode where dependents are present, is feared to expose the migrant community to exploitation.
At present, the department directly arrange for sending the bodies, mostly by air, of victims without dependents here while in the case of victims having dependents, the Labour department sanctions the fund, not more than ₹50,000, against the bills presented by the agencies that arrange for the transportation of the bodies.
“For the largely deprived migrant community left to mourning the departed, raising the money for sending the body back home could be a trauma they could well do without. The reimbursement could get inordinately delayed not to mention the complex paper works involved. Dependents working here may return but if they decide otherwise, then they may have to make the trip down here only for getting that reimbursement cleared, which could be a further drain on their meagre financial resources,” said Benoy Peter, executive director, Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development.
The circular dated May 29 would only state that the government will issue guidelines for addressing the practical difficulties and the delay in presenting documents.
Besides, it is also pointed out that the new arrangement opens the door for direct transaction between the agencies and the dependents leaving the latter with little bargaining capacity at the mercy of the former who may charge exorbitant fees. It is also feared that the agencies may rather opt to take the body by road rather than the cost-effective airlift considering the procedures involved and the scope for charging at will.
Additional Labour Commissioner Bichu Balan said that irregularities by the agencies in the presentation of bills, especially in Ernakulam and Kottayam districts, forced the Labour department to go for a course correction. The agencies, she said, used to present blank bills claiming an amount without giving the various expenditure heads, leaving little room for verification by the department.
“Anyway, there are very few cases in which the deceased migrants’ dependents are also present here. We also liaise with the Labour departments of the States concerned to speed up the documentation,” said Ms. Balan who, however, was candid enough to admit that response from the departments in other States is not always swift.
George Mathew, chairperson, Progressive Workers’ Organisation, alleged that the circular amounted to the Labour department abdicating its responsibility. “Despite the circular, the problem with the bills is going to persist since the dependents of migrant victims are going to approach the same agencies and they are going to issue similar bills only for bigger amounts. Instead, the government should have entrusted an authorised agency with the task for embalming the bodies and their transportation at a reasonable fee,” he said.
