SHILLONG, May 30: The COVID-19 pandemic accompanied by restricted economic activities has wrought havoc in the lives of daily wage earners by directly impacting their means of livelihood. The pandemic has been taking its toll by limiting employment opportunities while the extended lockdown has only compounded their miseries.
For a very large section of the population, it is now a question of existential crisis. Ignored, forgotten and left to fend for themselves, these sections of the population are now finding it hard to provide two square meals each day for their families as all their income sources have dried up.
During the first wave, many, including the government, traditional bodies, civil societies and even individuals had reached out to a large number of families affected by the national lockdown. This year, given the quantum of the hardship, such humanitarian activities have witnessed a decline, except for a few concerned Samaritans. Relief packages — economic and otherwise — have been left to the discretion of state governments, which was seen to be spearheaded by the Union in the first wave.
The Shillong Times spoke with a number of daily wage earners in several localities of the city to get an insight into their plight and agony during the lockdown.
For residents of Kynjat Phutbal in Lumparing, most of whom are daily wage earners, survival has been the most challenging aspect. Without any income for over a month now, they have appealed to the local Dorbar, the MDC, the MLA, the Church authorities and local organisations to come to their aid. However, only the Kynjat Phutbal Dorbar has provided essential commodities to residents under home isolation but it is insufficient, they said.
Newman Khongsti, a taxi driver, said that he has been sitting at home for over a month and being the only breadwinner in the house, he is now struggling to feed his wife and two children. “It has been a very difficult time for us. There is not much ration left,” Khongsti said, lamenting the lack of support from the elected representatives. “If this situation persists, we are surely going to starve. The government has to do something for the poor before it is too late,” Khongsti added.
Silvester Sohtun, who works at a guesthouse, pointed out that the owner has not been able to pay his salary as there are no guests. Arranging food for his wife and three children has been one of his major worries, while the other being monthly school fees.
Some residents of the locality have been asked to vacate their houses due to their inability to pay the house rents on time. Though none of these people directly came forward to reveal their plight, some concerned neighbours did speak about the same.
Pynshngain Marbaniang, assistant secretary of the Kynjat Phutbal Dorbar, said they received some help from the Raid Laban Dorbar in setting up the relief camp in the locality but what they are desperately looking for is help from the government or the MLA/MDC.
Wankynton L. Khongsti, owner of a popular tea stall at Mawlai Mawdatbaki, said that the income from the tea stall helped him to provide for his 22-member family for years but since the stall has been closed for almost a month now, survival has become difficult.
He was candid in admitting that the situation could turn worse for him and his family if businesses were not allowed to resume at a normal pace, at the earliest.
“If the government cannot help us directly, let them allow petty shopkeepers like us to open shops to feed our families. We have no other means of income,” he said.
Like Newman, Silvester and Wankynton, most people whom The Shillong Times had spoken with shared similar woes.
Shane Thabah, who lives with his five brothers and sisters and mother at Lumshyiap, is looking at an uncertain future. With zero income in the last one month since the lockdown began, Thabah said street vendors like him are desperately trying to figure out ways in which they can manage food and rent.
Thabah, who is the general secretary of Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers’ and Street Vendors’ Association, said that some of the hawkers did not possess ration cards and have no other alternative source of income. With zero support from the government, they are more worried about hunger than fighting the virus itself.
Thabah also revealed that most of the hawkers were yet to receive financial aid that had been promised by the government last year, a statement endorsed by several others, who all claimed that despite the many tall promises made, nothing has been done. The situation was bad last year, Thabah said, while adding that people had incurred huge losses in the first wave but the second wave has dealt a near-fatal blow.
Shanbor Suchen of Mawpat and Wandonbok Jyrwa of Mawlai used to drive taxis and earn enough to provide for their families. However, they both have been at home for over a month without their regular wages. Suchen has a family of four while Jyrwa has to tend to his wife, two children and a sister.
“The situation this year is worse compared to 2020. Last year many people came forward to support us by supplying essential commodities during the national lockdown,” they said.
Wandonbok echoed him while admitting that it would be difficult for the Dorbar Shnong or civil society groups to continue to help people for months. “It is the responsibility of the government,” they argued. “Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong had advised us to stop eating meat and consume vegetables but we need money to buy vegetables. We have nothing but rice and salt,” Jyrwa added.
A farmer from Shilliang-Umkhen in New Shillong Township lamented that his hard labour had reaped no benefits as he and his fellow farmers have been dumping their perishable crops due to closure of the markets. “Some of us attempted to transport our produce to the market but we were prevented by police at NEIGRIHMS from going further due to the restrictions amid lockdown,” said the farmer with a request not to mention his name.
Seeking government support for her family, Theoris Sohtun from Pomlakrai said the lockdown decision was the right one but it was imposed without any thought for farmers like her. “The livelihood of the people should continue. I cannot bear to see my children go to bed hungry,” Sohtun, a single mother with six children, said. Alleging that police had chased them away when they had gone to Iewduh wholesale market to sell their produce, Sohtun said, “We have dignity. You cannot mistreat us just because we are poor.”
Nantu Chanda, a father of two kids, was successfully running a salon at Golf Links until the pandemic struck last year. “Despite the national lockdown last year, we still managed to earn some money visiting people’s houses for haircuts. But this time around, we are stuck inside our homes as the situation is severe,” Nantu said while revealing that the house and shop rents and his children’s school fees were his biggest challenge. “Though we are not starving right now, that day is not very far away,” he said in despair.
Kush Mohammad, a two-wheeler mechanic who lives in Jhalupara and runs a workshop at Keating Road, has had no customers nor any income for over a month. “The government should provide assistance if the lockdown has to continue”, he said while adding that he has to send money every month to his native village where his family resides.
Apart from these people, there were others who spoke about their circumstances but did not want the details to be published. Asked why, some of them said they did not want the situation in their kitchens to come out in public for fear of being shamed. Others admitted they were facing severe problems but were too shy to reveal the details. Entry into some localities was barred due to co9ntainment measure adopted by the local Dorbar.
The same story narrated itself across the city, the state of uncertainty only grew further as we left the city and moved to the outskirts. Only one thing was abundantly clear — hopes of a good life turned into despair after the first wave while the second wave turned this anguish into sheer desperation.
