Involuntary Migration

INVOLUNTARY MIGRATION WITHIN INDIA CAUSES AND EFFECTS

Introduction The i mportance of migration in econo mic development and social change cannot be under mined especiall y in the context of developing countries like India. It pla ys a major role in ma npower planning and urbanization thereb y wielding great influence on socioeconomic processes. The genesis of mi gration lies in the dissatisfaction with the conte mporar y environ ment. Migration involves a change of residence fro m one environme nt to another. An internal migrant mo ves from one regional unit to another for a certain mi ni mu m period of ti me. Such a mo tion is rooted in his disgruntle me nt with his existing situation, which he hopes to overcome b y migrating towards an apparentl y better setup. Internal mi gration ma y be voluntar y or involuntar y, te mporar y or per manent. Although the line of distinction between voluntar y and involuntar y migration is thin, for the purpose of our stud y, we include under involuntar y migration, the mo bilit y resulting from such crises as war, violence, riots, environme ntal cala mities like floods or earthquakes. In situation where econo mic constraints result in move ment for earning live hood, the voluntar y or involuntar y nature or migration, re mains a ma tter of se mantic difference. Thus, interest traders, laborers, artisans, shifting cultivators and indeed most job seekers in general can be classified under either categor y depending on the mo tivational factors behind such migration. The present stud y focuses on migration that is forced b y circu mstances be yon d a person’s control. Te mporar y mi gration differs fro m the per manent in the length of the period of the ti me involved in ma intaining the changed situation. It is the kind of distinction, which segregates a ‘native’ fro m a ‘visitor ’. An in-depth anal ysis of the burgeoning proble m of involuntar y migration within India is of great

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significance due to the increased di me nsion of this proble m in recent ti mes. It needs to major de mographic changes, which trigger a set of econo mic, social and cultural proble ms as evident in the big cities of Delhi or Bomba y. As hoards of job seekers or refugees fro m places like J&K, Punjab, Bihar etc. crowd into slu ms in other places, a potentiall y explosive mine is created. There are the aspects of ethnicit y, political exploitation, and ps ychological consequences like alienation or apath y, civic or municipal proble ms, which threaten the ver y sea ms of the cit y fabric. Organized cri me, delinquenc y, prostitution or beggar y proliferate in these pockets and pose her clean challenge to the administrator and town planners of toda y. The present paper first takes a look at the causes and consequences of involuntar y migration and subsequentl y atte mpts to search for solutions to these threats of migration. The cases of mi gration fro m J&K or Punjab due to the prevailing situation are exa mined in detail and Bomba y is put under the mi croscope, as an exa mple of the ill effects of involuntar y mi gration. Causes The factors leading to involuntar y mi gration are man y the chief a mo ngst the m being the econo mic incentive and the hope for better living standards. These factors can be crudel y classified under the following heads: - (i) political (ii) econo mic and (iii) socio-cultural. Involuntar y migration ma y be due to one or a combination of these factors.

i) Political India is a de mocratic polit y in which the people –on account of their vote in the political ma rketinfluence decisions, policies and progra mme s of the government. The superi mp osition of the west minister model of parlia me ntar y de mo crac y on the traditional socio-cultural setup in India meant the persistence of the use of traditional group identities to influence to awa y of the popular vote and to ensure people’s participation. Commu nalis m has been largel y an

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offshoot of this tendenc y to exploit the e motions or mind set of the voter to further narrow political gains. Now whenever there is friction of the co mmunal son it affects the ps yc he of the people to the extent that the y are forced to migrate towards a pro mise of securit y. The recent case of Bo mb a y riots substantiates this proposition as also the mi gration of the mi norit y after the 1984 riots. The ra mifications of political i mbalances in our countr y are visible in the countr yside where a new kulak class has replaced the old, landed aristocrac y. The redistribution of land has catal yz ed the process of transfer of political power fro m one class to another. This noveau riche class is tenacious in protecting its socioeconomic status even as the winds of change bring awareness and consciousness of rights to the hitherto suppresses sections of societ y. The volatile nature of the conflict between this stubborn tenacit y and newfound assertion of rights, results in caste wars and carnages. Such a pheno me non is frequentl y observed in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh etc. and breeds a stead y strea m of involuntar y migrants who flee the menace in the areas for the quietude of the cit y. The ‘Son of The Soil’ slogan is a mu ch-flaunted slogan these da ys and beco mes a convenient garb behind which ethnic divisions, prodded b y econo mic competition, operate. Whenever, these are a competition for scarce econo mic resources the traditionall y powerful caste clan surfaces and the ‘sons of the soil’ identit y is intensified b y such events as the Linguistic Reorganization of states during 1956. The myopic regional/sectarian identities often fuelled b y economic or political considerations force people to vacate the area for want of a feeling of belongingness. This phenomenon is manifested in Maharashtra (Shiva Sena), in Assam (ULFA) where rising militanc y has induced a series of involuntar y mi gration. The Indian political s yste m has also failed to provide an effective foru m where people can raise their grievances let alone store the m efficientl y. This has alienated the large mi norit y of co mmon people who are filled with a feeling of helplessness or apath y. This chronic deficienc y in the govern ment machiner y breeds terrorist or secessionist forces, which in turn lead to

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involuntar y mi gration of one section of people or another. ii) Economic If the involuntar y mi gration is not a flight to save the dear life then mo st likel y it is in search of bread-une mplo yment or undere mplo yme nt being its genesis. In a developing countr y like India, despite the government’s active intervention through the instrument of planning in achieving distributive justice there are large, glaring and persistent inequalities not onl y between different states or between different regions in the sa me state. Thus while so me states or zones have been able to create a super-abundance of jobs, these are utterl y lacking in so me other i mpoverished states. This invariabl y and quite predictabl y leads to mi gration – a stead y trickle that converts itself to a torrent under adverse conditions. This t ype of mi gration can reall y be ter med as either voluntar y or involuntar y – voluntar y because the y migrate on their own accord and involuntar y because economic necessit y or deprivation forces the m to leave their home s and wonder in search of jobs. A visit to Bihar brought us face to face with reality – ablebodied me n in village had left as migrant labour in search of employ ment. There could be two broad divisions in this capacit y – far m or unskilled labour and educated and skilled job seekers. Terrorism – Violence Related Migration Over the ye ars the Indian federation has witnessed an alar ming trend – a growing tendenc y towards terroris m and secessionis m. This terroris m related violence forces people to mi grate fro m that affected area because the most funda me ntal of all rights the right to live is threatened. Mass exodus fro m these regions as in case of J&K and Punjab is certainl y an exa mple of the extre me for m of involuntar y mi gration – where people leave behind flourishing businesses and opulent lifest yles and beco me refugees packed in makeshift tents like so ma n y sardines. This is the most tragic of all migrations.

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Victi ms Of Developme nt Large-scale mu ltipurpose projects and da ms result in larger displace me nts and dislocations. Though it is ma ndator y for the govern ment to rehabilitate and resettle the people so affected such resettle me nt, which is more often than not involuntar y and often coercive results in leaving these people rootless. Though this move ment is not strictl y migration, we call it coercisive if not involuntar y migration. The affected population are compulsoril y evicted fro m their villages etc. and resettled in areas alien to the m and having no connection with their occupational structure. Moreover the host population is hostile to the people so settled. It is pertinent to cite in this connection the World Bank safeguards on resettlement and rehabilitation: 1. To improve or at least regain the standard of living they were enjoying prior to their displace ment 2. To be relocated as village units, village sections or families in accordance with the ouster preference. 3. To be freely integrated in the co mmunity into which they are resettled. 4. To be provided with appropriate compensations and adequate social and physical rehabilitation infrastructures. Natural disasters like floods, earthquakes and droughts also result in involuntar y migration. Effects Of Involuntary Migration The phenomenon of involuntar y mi gration leads to far reaching effects. Like a pebble thrown into a pond there are an i mme diate splash and the circle of i mpact slowl y but surel y spreads to a larger area. Economic A ma jor causative factor of involuntar y migration is the endless search for bread or for better ment of economic conditions. These people when migrate do so a last resort. On mi gration the standard of living deteriorates for so me ti me but over a period of ti mes as e mplo yment beco mes assured the standard of

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living generall y i mproves. It is seen to go up over generations as well. If there is a mass influence of people there is a pressure on e mplo yment and there is a download pressure on wages. But this also results in une mplo yment proble ms. Man y big cities are not able this mass influence in ter ms of e mplo yme nt opportunities.

If the migration is rural-urban as is the case mo st of the ti mes, it results into regional and sectarian dislocations an overcrowding of our cities and under population in the rural areas. Also another effect of this rural urban mi gration could be change in the techniques of production. The rural sector seeks a mo re capitalintensive technique and the urban sector adopts more labour intensive technique of production. Socio – Cultural 1. Alienation – The mi grants having left their roots behind find the ms elves alienated fro m the mainstrea m of there adopted land. The y feel that the y are losing their cultural identit y. 2.

Homogeni zation – there is a reverse trend of an inter mingling of cultures over ti me as mi grants adopt the life codes and the culture of the natives.

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Breaking of the caste identities - and fa mil y units takes place as people mov e into broader groups and identities. The traditional caste structure has lost its rigidit y pri maril y due to migration, both voluntar y and involuntar y. Si milarl y the age-old concept of a large joint fa mil y is also breaking and nuclear fa milies come up instead.

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Ethnocentricity – it is also possible that migrant group seeks to perpetuate its cultural code and identit y a mong its progen y and seeks to build or s mall cultural ho meland in an alien sea.

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5. Along with the breaking of the fa mil y the separation of the living couple, there develops an alternate institution, that of prostitution. The migrant ma le fuels this institution which has wide ra mifications in changing ideological structures, health, sanitation and even the status of wome n which also witness a proble m of migration. Political There are widespread political effects of migration which are enumerated below 1) The son of the soil concept has co me about the natives as competition for resources increases due to migration. More and mo re people co mpeting for the sa me jobs, sa me co mmodities, sa me a menities causes heart burn a mong the actual residents of the place who feel that the scare resources which should have been rightfull y theirs are being wasted on the fresh entrants, aliens, who do not reall y deserve it. This senti me nt over a period of ti me has acquired political overtones, as some groups have been able to highlight this injustice, perceived or otherwise, and mobilize the people against the present s yste m on this plank of sons the soil. Health Migration affects health in the following wa ys: 1) Fertilit y Ratios in the fa milies that have involuntar y mi grated goes up, especiall y in the big cities Bomba y, Banglore, Calcutta etc. the proliferation of slums leads to ma n y diseases, due to lack of sanitation; there is also this scars of the deadl y disease AIDS and other sexuall y trans mitted diseases which co me about due to the presence of ghettos, slums and prostitution. De mographic 1. Cities expand and slu ms proliferate 2. De mographic profiles of both cities and villages change. Case Study: Punjab

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When a population, prosperous and flourishing is compelled to leave its ho meland due to fear of death or destruction the ensuing migration, we feel is the most tragic of all the involuntar y mi gration. The knott y Punjab had resulted in such a situation where the nonSikhs were forced to leave Punjab. It was all the part of well thought out deliberate strateg y to oust the nonSikhs from Punjab so that onl y the Sikh population is left behind and this was sought to be achieved b y selective ma ss killings of the potential mi grants. Punjab has been a state which has not onl y seen the inter state out migration (Hindus mov ing to neighboring states of Har yana and Rajasthan and to Delhi) but also intra-state mi gration – of the rural urban kind. In this kind of mi gration the skills as well as the non-Sikhs migrated from rural to urban areas. Majorit y of those who migrated were far mers – it was perceived that cities and towns were safer and the villages to that extent more vulnerable. The inter-state migration has created man y dislocations not onl y econo mic but also socio-political. The out-migrants called refugees who having left rather prosperous lifest yles back ho me had to begin fro m a scratch. The y are often not able to reconcile with the charged situation and environ ment and often suffer a lot both on the ps yc hological and e motional front. While new proble ms in the land mi grated to see m be yo nd solutions the proble ms back ho me re main unattended and uncared for. The most disastrous and lasting effect and also the most conspicuous is the Hindu Sikh polarization. The two communities, which had shown exe mplar y fraternit y in all these ye ars, were on the warpath. The forced out mi gration of the Hindus fro m Punjab and the consequent ill feelings between the two co mmunities was what profoundest of khalisthan wanted. The y al most did succeed in this. Bombay Involuntar y mi gration, which is a ra mpant phenomenon in India, leads to various distortions and dislocations. Bomba y metropolis is perhaps the cit y where the proble m is most grave and acute. Such is the proble m that the Maharashtra legislature and the Bomba y municipal corporation are in fact

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conte mplating a legislation, which would restrict the number of migrants entering Bo mba y. In Bo mba y till recentl y around 500 migrants entered the cit y. Man y of the m were from the villages of Maharashtra. But ma n y more ca me from Uttar Pradesh, Madh ya Pradesh and Bihar. In most of these cases mi gration is involuntar y especiall y for those who co me fro m drought strikes villages or landless fa milies. It is perceived and rightl y so that e mplo yment especiall y in the industrial sector abounds in Bomba y. A huge portion of Bo mb a y’s industrial work force co mp rises, the mi grants. Moreover in Bo mba y, it is also relativel y eas y to find some sort of casual work. The mi gration to Bo mb a y could thus be explained b y (i) job opportunities that the cit y has to offer. (ii) Perceptions that such opportunities are a legion and the standard of living in Bomba y would be muc h higher than in the native town and villages. Thus most migrants who co me to Bo mba y are able to eke out a living. The y do get jobs or e mplo yment but their life in the cit y is pathetic and deplorable. The y live in ghettos and shant yt owns and in chawls, a s mall roo m shared with fift y others. And these are the fortunate people. Man y do not get accommodation. This explains the proliferation of the encroachme nts. The proble ms than Bo mba y faces toda y ma de the BMC appoint a committee to go into the question of migration and whether it could be stopped or at least controlled. The said co mmittee after giving a detailed account of the proble ms ca me with a proposed legislation, which would initiall y restrict and eventuall y stop all involuntar y mi gration to the cit y. But the law judiciar y depart ment has raised objections to the bill sa ying that it would reach the funda mental right to move freel y thought the countr y. Opinions are still divided. Man y feel that the proposed bill will well fall within the reasonable restrictions. The bill however is still pending. Proble ms Faced By The City

1. Over population:

the population is increasing at a stud y pace. And this indeed the root factor to which most other causes are related. Not onl y do the

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migrants add to the cit y’s existing population but also the rate of growth of population is the fastest in this class, since the y all belong to the lower mo st strata. A surve y has observed that on an average each migrant fa mil y has 5 to 6 children. These children are invariabl y ill fed, barel y literate and are going to pose a tre mendous proble m in the da ys to co me, povert y and illiterac y coupled with rising une mplo yment in the cit y itself conspire to mak e these children cri minals.

2. Criminalisation:

first the triggered riots and then the bomb explosions. Though international terrorists are said to be involved in this, these two episodes have also compelled the police and the administration to view the increasing cri me rate of the cit y with greater concern. Gang war has also become a characteristic of the cit y.

3. Failure of

civic facilities: but perhaps the cause for the gravest concerns both for the ad ministration and the common ma n alike is the near collapse of the civic facilities. Housing is a major proble m. The drainage s yste m is unable to cope up with the increasing cit y population causing health proble ms. The biggest proble m perhaps is that of transportation. The suburban local service and the BEST buses are required to carr y more nu mber of passengers than the y were designed for, this resulting in overcrowding, traffic ja ms and sound and air pollution. The existing health facilities are just not enough.

4. Prostitution and AI DS: prostitution flourishes

when the migrant enters a new cit y leaving behind his fa mil y. This socio-mo ral evil gets an added di mension as it is seen to be the reservoir for the AIDS virus.

5. Regionalism and sons of the soil

mo ve ment: while regionalis m is also a cause of involuntar y migration it is also an effect of migration. The genesis of Shiv Sena in the late sixties can be traced to the

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increasing mi gration trends- both voluntar y and involuntar y.

6. Encroachments

and illegal settle me nts: highlighted in the judg ment of supre me court in Olga Tellis Vs BMC, a public interest litigation, where the sc tried to reconcile the hu ma n considerations of encroachers and the ad ministrative exigencies of the BMC. BMC had re moved, but SC did e mphasis those encroachme nts especiall y on pave me nts cause proble ms to the cit y and the ad ministration alike.

Man y ti mes re mo val of encroach ments have also led riots, including communal riots in Bhiwandi . Suggestions And Reco mme ndations An y worthwhile stud y of such a h yd ra headed proble m as that of involuntar y mi gration and its consequences, would be inco mplete without appropriate recommendations to tackle it. Essentiall y, however, migration is linked like most other conte mporar y issues to the process of develop me nt or the lack of it. Lopsided progress and the si mmering desire to transcend one’s existing conditions i mpel mov e ment towards apparentl y greener pastures. Therefore the need of the hour is all pervasive development wherein i mbalances are done awa y with and one is not constrained b y one’s surroundings. To ste m the tide of job seekers, greater bread earning opportunities mu st be created in rural, far-flung areas, which have been left out of the develop ment process. For this, cottage industries, rural growth centers and e mplo yme nt sche mes must be initiated. Industrial belts must be dispersed rather than restricted to large cit y areas so that population would fan out over a greater area. People mu st be encouraged to mi grate back from the congested slu ms to their place of origin, which must offer the m greater opportunities for earning their livelihood and increasing their standard of living. Artisans and crafts ma n especiall y those in possession of rare and d yi ng skills should be provided incentives for continuing in their professions instead of giving the m up for Sundr y jobs in me tropolis. Encourage ment of folk artists, troupes, skilled crafts men, traditional workme n, would go a long wa y in achieving this

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motive. The develop ment of touris m industr y would bring more occupational opportunities to hoteliers, shopkeepers, entertainers etc. another aspect is the proper fillip to agriculture in ter ms of mo netar y and resource inputs so that agriculturists do not flee fro m the vicissitudes of the countr yside and into the illusor y securit y of the cit y. Awareness progra mmes mu st be started to acquaint the people with the real proble ms that mi gration to distant drea mlands entails. The benefits of creating opportunities and tapping the potential of their habitat should be mad e known to the people. Such economic develop ment would go a long wa y in controlling other causative factors of involuntar y migration such as law and order related or violence forced migration. Once an at mosphere free of communal tension or fissiparous tendencies is attained, people will automaticall y have confidence in their circumstances and those who have been forced to leave their home s for instance in J&K, Punjab and Bo mba y would return to work in peaceful settings. For this, terroris m must be curbed with a fir m hand and antisocial ele ments, which drive people awa y, must be dealt with fir ml y. To battle the multifarious proble ms of the slu ms and ghettos, the working of slu m develop me nt boards and municipal authorities mu st be refurbished. Special sche mes for promoting literac y, teaching e mplo yment oriented skills must be encouraged so that slu m dwellers can ma ke maxi mu m use of these and rise above their conditions. Living condition in cra mp ed localities must be i mproved b y giving proper attention to drainage, sanitation, providing adequate medical facilities etc. The involuntar y mi grant and the prospective migrant must be educated and mad e aware of the ps ychological and sociocultural proble ms turning in the te mptations of fared b y the mo ve to cities. The y must realize the i mpending sense of alienation and loss of identit y that such a move has in the store. The y mu st be acquainted with the delusions created b y migration to an alien surrounding and the plight of their dependents –like aged parents, wives and children back ho me. No doubt the economic i mperatives forces harsh decisions down a person’s throat, but the central assu mption of

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all recommendations is the develop me nt led prosperit y of the areas. Lastl y people who are displaced fro m their habitat due to large da ms and other projects mu st be carefull y resettled in other areas and dul y co mp ensated so that the y do not beco me helpless victi ms to what is be yond their lines of control.

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6. Joseph, K.V. Migration and Econo mic Develop ment of Kerala. Delhi: Mittal, 1988 7. Connel, John Migration from rural areas: Evidence fro m village studies. Delhi: Oxford, 1976 8. Nair, K.S. Ethnicit y and Urbanization; Case stud y of the ethnic identit y of South Indian mi grants in Poona. Delhi: Ajanta, 1978 9. Paul, R.R Rural-Urban migration in Punjab: Econo mic Anal ysis. Bomba y: Hi mala ya, 1989

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