Saturday | 11 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Saturday | 11 January 2025 | Epaper

Daily earners face financial hardship amid lockdown

Published : Saturday, 24 April, 2021 at 12:00 AM  Count : 486
Rafiqul Hasan Firoz
The photo shows some daily wage earners in Rajshahi. photo: observer

The photo shows some daily wage earners in Rajshahi. photo: observer

RAJSHAHI, Apr 23: Day-earning opportunities amid the running lockdown have become truncated entirely with several lakhs of people in livelihood crisis in the district.  
Rickshaw drivers, transport labourers, daily wage earners, agriculture labourers, hotel labourers, general shoppers, footpath traders, and people of all professions are experiencing adversities of living hardship. They said, they don't have money as their regular working fields are under the lockdown: they are passing days in hardship with family members.
Most of them are missing three time meals; they cannot receive healthcare on an emergency basis; and in addition, other necessary household necessities are remaining un-met.
According to field sources, every day, 20,000 to 22,000 daily wage  earners come to the city from nine upazilas; they gather in the District Stadium nearing Shaheed AHM Kamaruzzaman Chattar, Talaimari, Court Station, and several other points for works.
They do various works including construction and household works. City dwellers come from different areas to hire them on a daily basis. At present, they are not coming to bring them fearing health risks. But these day-earners are continuing to come every day in these labour bazaars by 7am; many are sitting in different intersection points for getting works. According to them, only highest 10 per cent are getting works, and after waiting for few hours, the remaining 90 per cent go back with spade, daali and dau.
One Hasem Ali coming from Paba Upazila's Harian area to Kamaruzzaman Chattar for work said, "I got work for one day only in the last 10 days. I have a big family with my old and sick mother. I have to purchase milk every day for my mother. We are living somehow without full-day meal or half-day meal."
Nazrul Islam came from Durgapur Sadar Upazila and was waiting in the District Stadium area said, he did not get work. He waited till 10am for work. "I have come by cycle from 30 kilometres away. I did not get any work for straight seven days. My family members are not getting adequate food. My children are crying. I am passing days in a severe hardship."
Arshad Ali comes to the city from Godagari Upazila's Bhatopara area with auto-rickshaw.  He cannot run his auto for lockdown (since April 5). "I am workless for 15 days. I have not a single taka income. I maintain a five-member family including wife and children. At present, managing one time meal has been uncertain."
In normal time, on an average, 28,000 auto-rickshaws run on-hire in the city every day.
But amid the lockdown, they are not getting into roads; If few of them come on road, their vehicle tyres are pumped out. As a result, numerous auto-rickshaw drivers have become workless.
In bus and other transport services, about 35,000 labourers are engaged. From April 14 lockdown, they are remaining complete workless; according to them, their families are passing days in an untold hardship.
General Secretary of District Motor Shramik Union in Rajshahi Mahatab Hossain Chowdhury said, "We have passed last one year of corona in many troubles. Labourers have been assisted from the union fund. At present, the fund is zero. We are finding no option to resolve labourers' hardship. We are in serious tension."
Hotel labourers are also not well. Amid corona and Ramadan, customers are not going to hotels in fear of health risks. One labourer Rahmat Ali of Tripti Hotel at Laxmipur area in the city said, "Earlier, I would get Tk 500 for 10 hours. Now I get work for  4/5 hours. So the hotel owner gives me Tk 200. It is a poor amount to run my family."   
There are 20,000 hotel labourers like Rahmat Ali in city's different hotels. They are all almost in the same condition.
Besides, there are about 10,000 small footpath traders in different areas of the city. One of them Shafiqul Islam who sells clothes on van at Zero Point of Sahebbazar said, "Police members are not allowing us to sit on footpath due to lockdown. My family is big. If lockdown continues, after few more days, we will die without food.  Earlier, we got food assistance of rice, pulse and other items during lockdown. But we are not getting now."
Deputy Commissioner Abdul Jalil in Rajshahi said, there has been no food allocation this round; but on behalf of the government, this month, Tk 9.9 crore has been given as VGF and GR.
The money has already been sent to the Rajshahi City Corporation, municipalities, and unions, he mentioned, adding, they will quickly distribute these allocations among beneficiaries.




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