SHILLONG: Two square meals a day and safety from the deadly virus is all they wish for their husbands who are miles away from home.
Rina Devi and Renu Devi are waiting for their husbands to come back but they are also worried about their safety. “At least they are safe in their workplace where they are stuck. They are also getting food. What else can we ask for,” said Rina, whose husband Raimangal Rai is living in Madhya Pradesh since January.
Renu’s husband went to Delhi around the same time and from there travelled to Kolkata for work. “He reached Kolkata before the lockdown. There is no work anywhere and so they are sitting idle,” said Renu, who is managing the house and children alone. Her husband, Dinesh Rai, left the city after work became scarce for non-tribal labourers amid protests over NRC and CAA.
Ration back
The families started getting ration after a report in this newspaper on April 24 highlighted their plight and the high-handedness of the fair price shop dealers. They have also received kerosene. But when asked about the government’s monetary aid for migrant workers, the duo said their husbands have not received anything. “We have not checked our bank accounts but as far as we know, no money has come in,” said Rina.
Both Dinesh and Raimangal have registered with the state government’s portal for migrant workers but “they have not heard about any bus or transport carrying migrant workers home”.
Though the families want their bread-earners to be back despite foreseeing the financial problems, they are helpless. “We speak to them on phone but our husbands don’t even tell us everything lest we start worrying. All we know is they are fine and all we can do is pray for them,” Renu said.
Poor living condition
Renu and Rina are residents Madanrting Block C. The 10 households do not have electricity and depend on solar lights, “which un for two to three hours in the evening when our children study”.
Rina’s family has a separate toilet but for the remaining households, there is a common toilet away from the residents. The wooden rooms are small and damp. There is no water pipeline and the residents have to walk a few yards to fetch the day’s requirement.
