A total of 112 migrant workers from South Dinajpur, who had been working in Kashmir, reached Gangarampur safely this morning.

The state government facilitated their return after five workers from Murshidabad in West Bengal were shot dead by terrorists in Kashmir on 29 October. District administration officials and leaders of the Trinamul Congress today received them at the Buniadpur bus stand, where they arrived from Kolkata after an overnight journey.

After refreshments, they were sent to their respective homes with police escort in Gangarampur, Banshihari and Kusmandi blocks. Though the family members looked happy, the workers lamented that they now have no source of income.

“I will have no option left but to go back to Kashmir if I fail to land work here,” one of the workers made it clear. Among the workers, 105 are from Kushmandi, five from Banshihari, and two are from Gangarampur, and they had been working in different sectors in Kashmir.

Gangarampur SDO Debanjan Roy and senior officials of the district administration were present to welcome the workers in Buniadpur. The district president of the Trinamul Congress, Arpita Ghosh, along with her supporters, was also there, along with hundreds of relatives of the workers, who had been spending sleepless nights for the past few days.The district administration offered the workers bags containing blanket, wrappers, food packets and water bottles.

“A maximum number of migrant labourers in Kashmir were from South Dinajpur and a maximum of them had been working in the apple orchards there as this is the apple-plucking season,” an official said.

“Who wants to work in faraway lands, far from the family? We tried to arrange for work here itself, but we were compelled to go out after we failed to find any work here. I was in Kashmir for the past five years, and I never faced any problem there. We came back safely, and we all thank the state government. However, it is now our primary concern that we look for some source of income,” said Md Alamgir Hussein.

One relative and resident of Kushmandi, Md Mustak Ahamedm said, “My brother was working in a winter garments factory for the last two years. We were all worried about the workers and the situation in Kashmir. Thanks to state government for helping us get back our relatives.”

As per instructions from the state government, we had arrange for transport for the 112 workers, and all of them reached their homes safely today,” said the Gangarampur SDO, Mr Roy.