Homeless migrants for whom Gurugram footpaths are home say situation worse than demonetisation

Migrants from Rajasthan, who have been living on city’s footpaths for years and earning their livelihood by selling earthenware and hand carved agricultural tools

Migrants from Rajasthan, who have been living on city’s footpaths for years and earning their livelihood by selling earthenware and hand carved agricultural tools such as sickles, chisels and the like, have been hit particularly hard by the nationwide lockdown, imposed to curb the outbreak of Sars-Cov-2. Living on the margins, many of these men and women, some of whom have spent about three-four decades in the city, agree that they have never seen such bad times in the past. Even during demonetisation, they recall, they had managed to earn something every day, but the impact of the nationwide lockdown is such that they have not been able to earn a single rupee in the last 15 days, they say.

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There are around 40 tents at Hanuman Chowk in Dundahera in which more than 150 migrant families live. These migrants hail from Chittor in Rajasthan and belong to the ‘Lohar’ community, but being nomadic in nature till a few decades back, they own no property.

“We don’t have permanent homes and these tenements are our only abode. Due to the lockdown, our shops are closed and there are no buyers but we have mouths to feed. There are around 600-700 people who need help in terms of groceries and essential items,” says Maina, a 60-year old woman.

The families staying at Hanuman Chowk say the local councillor had brought help to them a week back and given them rice, flour, oil and other essentials. “We have no money right now and the children need milk and food. We used to earn ₹500-₹600 every day but now there is no income,” said Kamlesh, another resident of the area.

While these migrants are facing shortages of food, those staying at the Palam Vihar road near Rezangla chowk say they are troubled as the community washrooms and toilets located nearby have been closed due to the lockdown. “There are 40 people living here. The women are facing trouble as they are forced to go in the open to relieve themselves. We have to fetch water from around 1km afar,” says Machhar Singh, who has been living in the area for over four decades.

The migrants insist that they should be given dry ration instead of cooked meals as they are worried about the quality of the food. “We don’t accept cooked meals. What we want is some rations that can sustain us during the lockdown,” says Anguri Devi, adding that the sources of income have dried up and her savings are also gone.

When asked about the matter, Rakesh Daultabad, MLA Badshahpur assured that help will reach these people at the earliest. “Our teams are working hard to reach out to the distressed persons. Whatever is needed will be given by Monday morning,” he said.

Sudhir Singla, BJP MLA from Gurugram, also assured that he will ask officials to reach out to all such people and help will be given on priority. “I have just come to know about their problems and I assure that no one in the city will remain hungry. Help will reach them soon,” he asserted.