Vijayanagara: Failure of the southwest monsoon has triggered early migration from several villages in Karnataka’s Vijayanagara district, with hundreds of families leaving their homes in search of employment as agricultural activities have come to a standstill.
Loaded with household essentials and belongings, families have begun travelling to other districts and neighbouring states in search of daily wage work. While seasonal migration is common in parts of the district every year, residents say this year’s exodus has begun much earlier due to the severe shortage of rainfall.
With cultivation delayed and farm operations virtually halted, local labour opportunities have dried up. Residents also allege that employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has not been implemented effectively, leaving many families with no option but to migrate.
Every day, several lorries carrying migrant workers are reportedly leaving villages and tandas in the district. Most families are heading towards Mandya district, particularly K.R. Pete, Kikkeri and Channarayapatna, where they hope to find employment in sugarcane harvesting and other agricultural activities. Others are migrating to Mysuru, Bengaluru and parts of Maharashtra in search of work.
In many villages, only school-going children and elderly family members have been left behind, while the working population has moved out to earn a livelihood.
“People from our tanda migrate every year, but this time the lack of rainfall has left us without any work here. That is why families have started leaving much earlier than usual. Many more are expected to migrate within the next week,” a local resident said.
Residents have urged the government to provide adequate employment opportunities and drought relief measures to prevent large-scale migration from rural areas.
Follow on Twitter | Edited by Neha Khan | 
