Mangalore: South Canara district administration requested Milagres Educational institutions to provide temporary transit accommodation to around 50 to 100 migrant workers from Utter Pradesh. We happily obliged the authorities as we could be of some assistance to these ‘guests.’ The request was for at the most two days as by then their travel would be arranged from Mangalore Central Railway station. Now it is almost a week and there is no sign of their departure. Moreover, the number has swelled from the requested 100 to 550.
The migrants have a long list of complaints as anyone would have in this tense and uncertain situation, the main one being of food. Milagres Institutions approached the Revenue Department expressing our willingness to provide good food to these people which was willingly permitted.
From Tuesday, May 19 onwards Milagres Educational Institutions provide good food to these people through the generous assistance of well-wishers, and benefactors especially of one John Samuel of Dubai. Rt Rev. Dr. Peter Paul Saldanha, the bishop of Mangalore Diocese, visited the transit camp and interacted with the migrants and distributed food. Rev. Fr Michael Santhumayor, the campus Director and principal of Milagres College took the lead in this act of charity ably assisted by Rev.Fr Maxim D’Souza, vice-principal of Milagres High school, Austin Peres and John Monteiro and the parishioners of Milagres Church contributed their mite to this cause.
On May 20, 2020 around 600 transit migrants of UP were taken to the Mangalore Junction Railway Station to be boarded on the special train. The Principal and the college team served food for their journey at the Railway Station.
