Labourers, destitute worst hit by lockdown in state

SHILLONG: As Shillong city continues to be under the grip of lockdown to protect citizens from COVID-19, the labour class and poor people of the society are the ones who are bearing the brunt of it all.
It is now almost a week since the city is under shutdown, much before the Prime Minister’s announcement of the 21-day national lockdown, and with no work or money, the poor are the ones who want the government not to forget about them.
Maimul Haque, a 40-year-old labourer, who resides in a slum near GS Road, said that the lockdown has not affected him only monetarily but even emotionally as his family is struggling to make ends meet in a village in Dhubri Assam while he is helplessly waiting for things to get back to normal here in the city.
“This (lockdown) is affecting our livelihood, but the saddest part is that I am away from my wife and children,” he said, while eating food distributed by a group in the city on Thursday afternoon.
Apart from this, a group of construction workers, hailing from Assam, were seen stranded in their construction site in the city.
Lamenting the problems they were facing, one of the workers said that they have not eaten anything for the last two days.
He also expressed that even their contractor is not helping them in this issue and urged the government to make some arrangements for them to reach their hometown in Dhubri, Assam.
However, the claims of the labourers were denied by the authorities of the building in which they were working. The authorities said that there was no truth in their allegations and that they were provided with all the necessities.
Later, the owner of the Delhi Mistan Bhandar, Kailash Verma, arranged some food for the labourers who were in the building.
A Haider, who sells his cosmetic goods in different areas of the city, lamented that the lockdown is affecting his business and eventually his livelihood. There is no other option we have to abide by the directives of the government since COVID-19 is a deadly virus, Haider added.
A woman from Jhalupara, who usually survives on food given by others, came out of her home on Thursday stating that the situation is badly affecting her as she cannot move frequently.