In four years, 13 migrant workers from the constituency have died in accidents on National Highway 65 when returning home. BIDAR For families in Bidar South, travelling to Telangana for daily wage work has become a risky necessity. Twelve of them were women.
The accident has revived questions about why workers are travelling to neighbouring states when employment programmes are meant to provide work closer to home. Villagers say a lack of regular local employment is forcing people to migrate. They too were returning from Telangana after working there. “Three families are in critical condition now. In some homes, parents have already died. The children are now orphans. “I had demanded that people from our constituency should be given work here under VB-GRAM G – Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin. “Last Friday we held a protest and submitted a request to the development officers asking for work under this scheme. “If villagers have submitted a letter to the Gram Panchayat requesting work and the Panchayat officer fails to provide work, action will definitely be taken against the PDO. A complete report will be obtained through concerned officials.
The previous major accident occurred on November 4, 2022, when seven labourers from Udumanalli village were killed in a collision between an autorickshaw and a lorry near Bemalkheda. Former minister and former Bidar South MLA Bandeppa Kashempur said he had raised the issue in the legislature after the 2022 accident and sought more employment under VB-GRAM G. At that time the government was giving 100 days, I demanded 150 days. The government then increased it to 125 days,” Kashempur said.
Officials and villagers said the victims came from extremely poor families, with several being the sole earners in their households. Who will feed them?” a local resident said. The PDO told us there was currently no work available in the panchayat and that we would be given work when it became available,” Malge said. Bidar Zilla Panchayat CEO Dr Girish Dilip Badole said complaints that employment had been denied would be investigated. If the incident is found to be true, the PDO will be suspended immediately,” Badole said.
