Hard data on number, nature of Nepali migrant workers in India is necessary

Early Saturday morning in Bhiwandi, a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra some 20 kilometres north-east of Mumbai, a massive fire broke out on the premises of a timber mart. The fire reportedly started in one timber godown and spread to three others. Dozens of fire-fighters managed to bring the inferno under control, but not before it had taken eight lives and injured three others. The bodies, charred beyond recognition, were identified via DNA testing. Seven of them were Nepalis from Kapilvastu—five from Kushahawa VDC and one each from Mahuwa and Baraipur. Kushahawa has since gone into mourning.

Preliminary investigations by Indian Police revealed that the wood godowns did not have licences for fire safety and hence, were operating illegally, according to the Times of India. Given the presence of highly flammable material like wood and plastic, the warehouses also did not have any mandatory fire extinguishers. While the cause of the fire is unknown, the police have reportedly arrested three godown operators for culpable homicide.

To say that Nepali migrants work under appalling conditions abroad would be to repeat the obvious. Last year, an expose by UK’s The Guardian newspaper revealed the abysmal conditions under which migrants workers, mostly from Nepal, were forced to work in Qatar building stadiums for the 2022 World Cup. In the ensuing furore, Qatar had vowed to reform its labour industry and protect migrant rights. However, a follow-up report by The Guardian last week revealed that despite Qatar’s promises, Nepali migrants continued to die at a rate of one every two days in 2014. But this was in the Middle East. No such investigations have been conducted into the plight of Nepali migrant workers in India. There isn’t even official data on the number of Nepalis working in India, given the open border; unofficial estimates claim roughly 3 million souls. There is also no data for the remittance sent back to Nepal by workers in India. Work in India is mostly seasonal and calls for unskilled labour along the border area of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, but there is an increasing number holding permanent and semi-permanent jobs in the metropolises of New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

As more and more Nepalis migrate abroad for work, whether to the Gulf, East Asia, or India, the lack of information of Nepalis in India is worrying. Anecdotal evidence suggests that instances of exploitation are numerous, but perhaps not as extensive as in the Middle East, given similarities in culture and language between Nepal and India. Still, a thorough study on the number and nature of Nepali employment in India is long overdue. Armed with such data, Nepali workers unions in India can push for better work conditions, perhaps preventing incidents like the Mumbai fire. One important aspect is that Nepal still lacks an official ambassador to India. Given the importance of Nepal-India bilateral relations and the widespread prevalence of Nepalis working and studying there, an ambassador must be appointed post-haste.

Published on: 30 December 2014 | The Kathmandu Post