For many families in Bidar South, travelling to Telangana in search of daily-wage work has become a risky necessity. Over the past four years, 13 migrant workers from the constituency have died in road accidents while returning home from Telangana. Twelve of the victims were women.
The latest tragedy occurred on Tuesday night when an autorickshaw carrying 12 workers from Rajgira village was hit by a speeding tanker near Zahirabad in Telangana. Six people died in the accident.
The incident has once again raised concerns over the lack of regular employment opportunities in villages. Residents say many poor families are forced to migrate to neighbouring states because they cannot find enough work locally.
A previous major accident occurred on November 4, 2022, when seven labourers from Udumanalli village were killed after their autorickshaw collided with a lorry near Bemalkheda. They were also returning from Telangana after working there.
Many of the victims belonged to economically vulnerable families and were the sole earners in their households. The latest deaths have left several families struggling to meet their basic needs.
Rural Development, Panchayat Raj and District In-charge Minister Eshwar Khandre said the government must ensure employment opportunities at the local level. He noted that workers can earn around ₹500 to ₹800 outside the state, compared with the ₹382 daily wage currently provided under VB-GRAM G.
Former minister and former Bidar South MLA Bandeppa Kashempur said he had previously raised the issue in the legislature and demanded more employment under the rural job guarantee scheme. He argued that drought and limited local employment were forcing families to migrate.
Residents have also alleged that some workers are unable to access the employment programme. Christopher S, a temporary member of Rekulagi Gram Panchayat, claimed that hundreds of job cards had been cancelled in one panchayat, leaving many workers with no option but to seek work in Telangana.
Villagers in Sindol said they recently approached local officials for employment but were told that no work was currently available under the scheme.
Bidar Zilla Panchayat CEO Dr Girish Dilip Badole said complaints about denial of employment would be investigated. He said action would be taken against officials if workers were found to have been denied work despite submitting requests.
According to Badole, employment work is currently under way in 163 of Bidar district’s 181 gram panchayats. The district has 1,46,865 job cards and 619 ongoing works, with around 30,000 people receiving employment each day.
For residents of Bidar South, however, the repeated accidents have highlighted a larger problem: without reliable employment in their own villages, migration for survival continues to put vulnerable workers at risk.
