Almost all in Odisha are well acquainted with the sorrows of the people living in the coastal erosion-hit Satabhyaya panchayat in Kendrapara. Another harsh reality of their struggle for survival is a lack of livelihood and employment. Like Bolangir and Nuapada, people from this panchayat have reportedly started migrating out of the state in search of jobs, a fact still lesser known to many.
As per reports, every week, three buses come to this panchayat and carry many of the residents to various parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu where they work in cotton mills, fish processing factories, brick kilns, and other sectors.
Women with their children, youths, and young girls of the panchayat can be seen boarding buses to Kerala and Chennai– a scene that is too heartbreaking for their kith and kin that are left languishing in the villages.
A woman, identified as Jayanti Bir, was found crying inconsolably and wiping out tears with her saree while boarding a bus to Kerala – a heartrending sight. She felt extremely sad to leave her village and travel to a place thousands of miles away, leaving behind her old mother in the house. Had there been any scope of earning here, she would not be going to a far-off place, she said.
The problem of migration began in the panchayat post-Supercyclone in 1999. Seven villages of Satabhaya panchayat have been completely engulfed by the sea. The administration has relocated the residents at Bagapatia.
Many of the residents work either in prawn processing units, brick kilns, or cotton mills outside the state. They admit that they come back home with some earnings after working for a few months.
As per reports, 5000 people of 751 families live in the relocated panchayat while about 1200 youths migrate to other states to eke out their living.
The migration misery of the Satabhyaya stands in sharp contrast with the state government’s big claims about several measures to check migration.
Debi Bir, a woman leaving for Tamil Nadu, said in a sarcastic tone, "We have no work in Odisha. I work in a cotton mill there and earn my livelihood.”
Nirupama Das, a young girl, lamented that as they have no work available in the locality, they are bound to migrate to Kerala for some months. “I do tailoring work in Kerala. I have been working there for more than a year. I came back home some days ago and handed out Rs 40,000 to my family. After staying in the village for some days, I leave for Kerala,” she rued.
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Prasanna Parida, sarpanch of Satabhaya, said that around 2000 people migrate outside to earn a livelihood. “The reason is that we don’t have adequate farmlands in the coastal area. Acres of farmlands have been rendered unfit for farming due to the increasing salinity of the soil. We have no alternative livelihood sources,” she admitted.
Now the question arises as to why people are leaving their homes, hearths, and families for a distant place.
As for the issue, Collector Amrit Ruturaj, replied tactically, saying that all are not going outside as migrants. "But many are going with a scope of good employment. We are here exploring fishery-based work for them,” he added.