On October 14 when mobiles phones started to ring again after 71 days of communication blockade, Abid Khan, 35, made his first call to his work’s supervisor Aman in Kolkata. It was a short but emotional call. The call was made to assure Aman that the situation has improved in Kashmir and he can now return along with his team of workers.
Khan, who owns a cardboard box manufacturing plant in Industrial Estate, Khunmoh, had to shut-down operations on August 3, after non-local workforce started to leave Kashmir en masse. “I convinced Aman and few other workers to stay back,” recalls Khan.
But on August 5, after the abrogation of Kashmir’s special status, Aman and other labourers became restless. “So I let them go,” said Khan. “For the first time they started fearing for their lives in Kashmir.”
The same day, Khan locked down his manufacturing facility halting all operations. “I had an advance order for manufacturing of over five lakh apple boxes,” said Khan. “There was no possibility of any work.”
As the apple-harvesting season was approaching fast, Khan invested his entire savings to meet the demand and deadline.
“When landline phones started to function, I rang Aman and asked him to keep labourers ready as I was sure things will be normal in a short while,” said Khan. “But I was proven wrong.”
Khan’s emotional call was one last effort to convince Aman to come back before apple season concludes.
But Khan is not the only one who has tried everything to convince labourers to come back. A number of factory owners lured their workers with gifts like new mobile phones, bonuses and other things to convince them back to work.
For Majeed, a young entrepreneur who owns a small food processing plant in Khunmoh, getting back skilled workers was like a herculean task for him.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 27-November 02, 2019; THE URDU UMPIRE; Issue 30 Vol 11;-Ausgabe von Kashmir Life.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 27-November 02, 2019; THE URDU UMPIRE; Issue 30 Vol 11;-Ausgabe von Kashmir Life.
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