Migrant Andhra worker walks 100 km to perform mom’s last rites

A migrant labourer along with his two minor children has set out on foot from Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam to perform the last rites of his mother in his native village in neighbouring Vizianagaram, a journey of about 100 kms.

Transport services remain suspended across the country due to the extended COVID-19 lockdown, prompting migrant workers to resort to such extreme steps to reach their hometowns. Several incidents of migrants walking long distances to reach their hometowns have been reported in the past few weeks.

Venkat Rao, a migrant construction worker, was informed about his mother’s demise by his brother on Wednesday (April 15). With no transport services available, Rao aims to walk the entire distance along with his children to catch a last glimpse of his mother.

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He began his journey from Muralinagar village in Visakhapatnam to his native village, Golladi, near Bobbili in Vizianagaram, a distance of about 100 kms.

“I am the eldest son. I need to perform the final rites for my mother. She was suffering from jaundice for some time. It has been almost four months since I last saw her. I will not touch food till I reach home,” Rao told the local media as he stopped near Isukathota, about six kms from Muralinagar, to feed his children.

“We are daily wagers. We can feed our children only when we work. We have had no work for over three weeks,” he said, adding that he was desperate to reach home early for the funeral.

It’s not just Rao; lakhs other migrant daily wage earners are desperate to travel to their hometowns in the middle of this lockdown, which has taken away their jobs, making their lives a constant struggle. State governments have set up relief camps to stop such movements of migrants.

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