Real issue is how prepared the government is in receiving its residents from abroad.
New Delhi: With the return of Malayalis from the Gulf in large numbers resulting in a spike in the number of Covid-19 suspects, euphoria has given way to despair in Kerala. In the initial months of corona outbreak in the country, Kerala had shown exemplary gusto in collaring the virus and was appreciated for its efforts within and outside the country. Many seemed to have overlooked the high health standards created in the state over decades—dating back to the Maharaja of Travancore and subsequent democratically elected governments—and started eulogising the Left Front government, as if Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was solely responsible for containing the pandemic in the state. The government, too, was carried away by this and started behaving as if nothing can go wrong in its decisions.
This was particularly exposed by the haste with which the Pinarayi government went ahead with the opening of places of worship against the advice of health experts. In fact, the government preferred to listen to heads of various religious groups on the opening up of temples, churches and mosques rather than the expert committee of health professionals it had set up to look into matters relating to the outbreak of the virus. This has led to some political slugfest with the state BJP going against the decision of its Central government and opposing the state move. Any independent observer could easily make out that both the Left and the Right were playing to the political gallery rather than the health of the residents of the state. Anyway, it is a different matter which will unfold in all its ugly manifestations in the months to come, corona or no corona.
But the real issue right now is how prepared the government was in receiving its residents from abroad, particularly the Gulf region where Malayalis earn their livelihood in large numbers. Though it was reported that ordinary Keralites were struggling to cope with the cost of Covid-19 treatment in those regions, the government did not show much enthusiasm in bringing them back home where they belong to. Some say that the government was reluctant to welcome them back since it knew that there was a likelihood of spread in virus once expats land here.
Initially, the government claimed that it was well prepared to keep them in quarantine for a fortnight; that is at a price. Since most of the returnees were either jobless or who had completed their visa periods, many of them could not afford the quarantine charges. Hence, the government came up with the proposition that they could quarantine in their homes. What has become more contentious is the government stand that those NRIs should undergo rapid Covid-19 tests 48 hours before boarding the flight. It said that only those with negative results would be entertained. “From 20 June, all private chartered flights departing to Kerala from Middle East countries shall only carry Covid-19 negative passengers. Test certificates must be carried by them. It applies to all flights for which consent letters were issued earlier,” Kerala Principal Secretary K. Elangovan has been quoted as saying. This restriction does not apply to Vande Bharat Mission flights. However, under pressure, the government has extended the date till 24 June. It also ruled out the possibility of bringing NRIs tested positive and negative together in the same flight. This has turned out to be highly impractical as many of the Gulf countries charge exorbitant rates.
Moreover, facilities are also scarce there. The opposition Congress has launched a statewide campaign against this. Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithal said it was not practical to get non-Covid certificated from the Gulf countries due to many technical reasons which even the Indian embassies there were not able to sort out. “Why are they discriminating against the Gulf countries? Covid certificate was not necessary during domestic flight services. Sixty per cent of people coming on trains are from red zones. But people coming on domestic flight and train services and those from non-Gulf countries can travel without Covid certificate. Why this discrimination?” Chennithal asked. Whatever the opposition may say, the government is going ahead with its plans. In another twist to the controversy, the government has also made it clear that the benefits given to migrant labour, now referred to as “guest workers”, cannot be extended to those coming from the Gulf or elsewhere. This means that those who return from Gulf will have to shell out for their upkeep in the state irrespective of their economic status. This has invited another round of criticism from the opposition.
It is a cruel joke that only this January, Kerala had hosted a jamboree named Lok Kerala Sabha 2020 (LKS). The LKS, a gathering of Keralites living across the globe, was supposed to have discussed threadbare the problems facing Malayalis working in different parts of the globe.
Actually, it was meant to study the plight of Keralites working in the Gulf. The conference was boycotted by the Opposition, saying that it was just a gathering to glorify Pinarayi Vijayan and his government.
At that time itself, this correspondent had pointed that ordinary Kerala workers in the Gulf such as masons, plumbers, electricians, drivers, shop attendants, nurses were conspicuous by their absence from the meet. It was attended by well-to-do businessmen who had made their fortune in the Gulf and their cronies. Crores were spent in renovating a part of the state Assembly for the meet. It has now come to light that it is the very same industrialists who are denying salaries to the workers in the Gulf citing coronavirus.
Now the government is also turning a blind eye to their plight. It still has no data as to how many Keralites are working in the Gulf and how many of them are in need of government assistance. It is sad that it is the very same ordinary workers who had contributed to Kerala’s economic growth in the past four decades. It is unpardonable how the government treats them when the chips are down.