Daily wagers await relief

Gurbaxpuri

Tarn Taran, March 29

The condition of a large number of people who have gone jobless owing to the lockdown has turned critical in the area.

Reason: Daily wagers, who used to make their both ends meet with meagre income, are facing a tough time to even meet their daily needs.

Bagichi (45), a resident of Jodhpur, was seen collecting vegetables and some other eatables from garbage on Friday at a market in Tarn Taran. He said the family members were starving for the last three days and he came to the town to make arrangements for food.

Beero, Sukho, Narinder Kaur and other women from Doburji village came out of their homes to get work on Sunday. These women went to Kakka Kandiala and Tharu villages to seek farm labour for digging potatoes, but farmers denied them work saying that since there was no movement in the market, they would not be able to sell their produce.

A few women collected wood from roadside trees to prepare food, as they were not in a condition to purchase an LPG cylinder even. They said no relief has reached them so far, adding that the panchayat was working partially. As a result, most of the actual needy families were denied facilities. Local SDM Rajnish Arora said the relief was being sent to residents.

Residents of Jaura village raised slogans against village elders for their failure to provide two-square meal to the poor of the village.

The labour class of Chutala village, too, lodged protest against the administration for not providing them essential commodities. The administration has made arrangements to inform residents about the mobile number of the officials in case of need, but in many cases, officials were not attending calls.