Cholera outbreak spotlights poor working conditions in Goa’s fish sector

The Migration Bulletin is a monthly round-up that captures issues related to migration that have been reported on various media platforms. In its third edition, we look at how a cholera outbreak in Goa's fishing sector has triggered government action, the health risks women migrants face in Kerala and the political pitches in Haryana aimed at migrants

Mansi Bhaktwani

MUMBAI, Maharashtra: Goa’s fisheries minister last month directed boat owners at the Cutbona jetty to build toilets with proper infrastructure within six months following a cholera outbreak.

The jetty employs mainly migrant workers and in the past month a 100 cases with five deaths due to choldera were reported, with most patients from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha who work at the jetty, reported The Times of India.

Goa’s chief minister Pramod Sawant has also asked the boat owners to pay a compensation of ₹ 5 lakh to the workers to the families of those who died, in addition to the five lakh rupees the government would pay, and warned them the compensation would increase to ₹25 lakh if there was a similar outbreak in the future.

The chief minister also said that boat owners must provide basic amenities, including first aid and necessary medications, as workers at sea often suffer from severe dehydration and diarrhoea due to cholera, often without timely medical attention.

But Cutbona Boat Owners Society has argued against the compensation and said that such an amount was financially unfeasible for many boat operators who have already taken loans to run this business. He suggested that the government should provide ₹25 lakh to both the victims and the boat owners, as both groups are facing financial difficulties.

Patients hospitalized at the South Goa District Hospital are placed in isolation, with separate toilets, and hygiene and sanitation measures have been intensified to control infections, stated epidemiologist Dr. Utkarsh Betodkar told The Times of India. Out of 108 patients, approximately 30 have recovered.

“The problem is that they are out on the trawler fishing for seven days and come to us late when they are already completely dehydrated, and then the recovery period is longer,” he said.

Fishermen elsewhere are watching the developments in Goa closely.

Devendra Tandel, President of the Akhil Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samiti, which represents fishermen in Maharashtra, told The Migration Story that the government should compensate the families of the deceased and develop a more effective policy through dialogue to prevent such incidents in the future.

Olencio Simoes, General Secretary of the National Fishworkers Forum, said the infrastructure at jetties needed revamping and that proper cold storage and other basic amenities must be provided.

MIGRATION SERIES IN THE NEWS MINUTE

In a four-part series on migrant workers to capture their “lived realities” in Kerala, The News Minute has documented their rare success stories in destination states and the many challenges they face.

A story by Maria Teresa Raju, explores migrant workers’ children scoring well in the state examination. The report spotlights Binanipuram school in Kerala, which has around 85% or over 160 students enrolled in the school whose parents are migrants. The school scored 100% pass percentage in the class 10 SSLC examination 2023-24.

This Malayalam Medium Government school, located in the Edayar industrial area of Ernakulam district, has students of migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Assam among other states.

The story quotes a class 10 teacher, Sudhi TP, who said that students said it’s not easy for children of migrants to obtain an education as they have to overcome the language barrier but a state programme that helps with language proficiency was helping them do so.

The school is not an educational institution of choice for many local families who are hesitant to send their children to a Malayalam-medium school, as they prefer education in English for better career prospects for their children. The school is known locally as a ‘Bhai school’, indicating the North Indian migrant population, but for migrant workers’ children, the school remains a much-needed facility.

The Migration Story reported earlier this year about a migrant worker’s daughter, Rokshat Khatun, who was featured in local media when she scored an A plus in all subjects in class X, including Malayalam. She and her older sister’s education had paused for a year after they migrated from West Bengal due to the unfamiliar language.

Enrollment in schools and retention are challenges for migrants due to multiple factors, such as a lack of documents and financial constraints.

This means that several children remain out of school.

In another part of the series, Haritha John reported about the vulnerable and overlooked children, who are either forced to go along with their parents to unsafe workplaces or are left unattended making them prey to sexual abuse or fatal accidents. Factories don’t allow children as the conditions there are poor and dangerous with wooden pieces and tools lying around. Anganwadis are the “safe” options for migrants but the timings don’t match their requirements. The government has started creches after many accidents and crimes made news headlines.

This creche facility provides them with pick-up and drop, food, and these operate from 7 am to 7 pm, unlike Anganwadis from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm which didn’t suit work hours of the workers. As per the report, only 15 children currently access this facility.

The News Minute in its series also reported on the migrant women who self-administered abortion pills and suffered severe complications. The abortion pill is a combination of two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol. Only registered medical practitioners are authorized to prescribe these medications, and pharmacies are prohibited from selling them without a prescription.

India’s Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, authorizes licensed medical professionals to conduct abortions under specific conditions. An amendment made in 2021 permits abortion for up to 20 weeks for cases involving unwanted pregnancies due to contraceptive failure.

The story reported from Aluva in Ernakukam about migrant women using the pills.

The story cited the case of Priya, a migrant worker, who faced complications and that doctors were unwilling to help them.

Another story in series highlighted the housing crisis of migrant families. The story looked at five families whose homes were bulldozed. As per the notice served to the families, they had violated several regulations including the construction of temporary tin-sheet structures without permission, improper waste management and causing pollution. The Kalamassery municipality had served them a notice on their residence being illegal.

TEJ PRATAP CAMPAIGNS FOR CONGRESS CANDIDATE IN HARYANA’S REWARI

Politician Tej Pratap Yadav, son of former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, has appealed to migrant workers in Haryana to vote for Congress, reported The Tribune on September 23. Yadav was in Haryana to campaign for Congress candidate Chiranjeev Rao who is contesting elections from the Rewari assembly constituency.

Migrant workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, West Bengal and across India migrate to Haryana for better employment opportunities. Work in various sectors including agriculture, construction and manufacturing. These migrants play a crucial role in Haryana’s economy, especially in the construction and manufacturing industry. These sectors are heavily reliant on migrants for infrastructure development and factory operations. Haryana receives a sizeable number of migrants from Bihar. They are predominantly employed in agriculture and construction.

As per an NHRC survey in 2021, migrants lacked basic amenities in Haryana and how they were considered outsiders, many were unable to access schemes due to language barriers and lack of information.

Compiled by Mansi Bhaktwani