Textile labourers dump Surat for Nitish’s Bihar

30K Biharis Head Home In Nov-Dec

Yagnesh Mehta | TNN 

Surat: If you thought Gujarat-Bihar ties were all about the infamous spat between
Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, think again. Kumar’s celebrated win in Bihar
assembly polls has started to affect fortunes of Surat’s textile industry. A number of
Bihari labourers working in Surat have started heading home — many more have not
returned after the Diwali break — thanks to a new-found hope of employment
opportunities in Bihar. 
    Surat houses about three lakh labourers from Bihar. In the past few weeks, around
30,000 of them have either returned to their hometowns or chosen to stay back, say
officebearers of Bihar Vikas Parishad. 
    “There is a shortage of labour here due to the development in Bihar. Very few units
run all three shifts in Surat. This is a clear indication of staff shortage,” says K S Gill,
deputy labour commissioner. Bharat Gajera, president of Kim Pipodra Weavers’
Association, says a large number of workers, who went home for Diwali, have not
returned. “If the situation persists, it will affect the industry,” he said. 
    Improved infrastructure, better job prospects and an incentive of staying with
family are the major reasons behind the reverse drain. “If a labourer gets to stay with
family for almost similar pay, why would he come to Surat,” asks Ajay Chaudhary of
Bihar Vikas Parishad, Surat. “Nitish Kumar’s victory has added to their hopes.” 
    Take the case of Pradeep Kumar, who works in a textile unit and earns about Rs
5,000 per month. “My brother just got a job in a construction project in Bihar for Rs
4,000 a month. I am tired of staying away from family. I plan to go back,” says
Kumar, who spends Rs 1,500 on his living in Surat. “Currently, I am able to send only
Rs 2,000 to my family in Bihar. If I get to work in Bihar even for Rs 4,000 a month, I
will save more,” he adds. 
    “Besides NREGA projects, many of them have started working as farm labourers in
Bihar. They refuse to come despite several calls from my contractor,” says Prashant
Raj, a textile unit owner in Pandesara GIDC.