SHILLONG: Prestina Kharjana, Phaiioris Kharjana, Moni Sengupta and many more like them can feel the earth has given away from under their feet as subsistence is getting tougher by the day.
Though the ‘un-lockdown’ phase is on for a few weeks now, businesses have fallen alarmingly low. The worst affected are the street vendors who have lost their ‘spots’ along roads or on footpaths and have been compelled to take to street hawking. With no monetary help coming their way during the past four months and the business being a pale shadow of the past, it’s a double whammy for these vulnerable sections of the community.
The Shillong Times spoke to some street vendors in the city and all of them had the same miserable story to tell. The common complaint is: “no help has come from anyone”.
“We all have bank accounts, BPL cards and ration cards and still we have not received anything. I keep checking my account. With almost no income, it has become immensely difficult for people like us to survive,” Phaiioris, a resident of Nongmensong, gave vent to her pent up feelings.
Sengupta, who lives in Demseiniong with family of five, said besides paying monthly rent and electricity bill of Rs 3,500, she has other expenses like food and children’s education.
Government’s financial assistance meant for the poor during lockdown has also not reached her or anyone selling clothes and other articles at Khyndai Lad.
) Now, most of the vendors who had temporary stalls at Khyndai Lad have resorted to street hawking.
Bidhan Dey, a 55-year-old street vendor, has the same complaint. “No money came from the government during the lockdown,” he said.
Prestina, who also lives in Nongmensong, complained that though the local dorbar had taken all the details, no help has come so far.
“We do not even know who to approach and how to find out when the expected monetary help is going to come. Also, we have to work to survive and we do not have time to go to the bank every day,” she added.
Earlier, this newspaper had reported about similar cases where labourers, who were supposed to get Rs 1,000 from the state government, and now it’s identical fate of the marginalised women who have been out of the purview of monetary aid.
