Forced to buy from shops of landlord, labourers cry foul

Sanjay Yadav

Gurugram, April 10

The brutal thrashing of four labourers in Aliyar village near Manesar for refusing to buy ‘overpriced’ groceries from their landlords’ shops has brought to fore the unsaid rule that governs rented settlements of labourers in Gurugram: ‘Buy from where we say’. Being home to the highest number of migrants in NCR, Gurugram has a unique chawl or urban ghetto culture.

Many people, especially in MCG colonies or rural areas, have erected chawls in their plots housing anywhere between 30 to 100 families of migrant labourers. The landlords set up their own grocery and vegetable shops, and in addition to rent, the tenants are mandated to buy essentials from these shops. In many areas the landlords even fix minimum quantity of articles or amount that a labourer needs to pay every month and get the essentials. Anybody defying the orders is kicked out of rooms or allegedly thrashed.

With governments mandate to forego the rent, these landlords are now looking to compensate ‘losses’ by forcing the migrant tenants to buy overpriced essentials from their shop. With no money in hand, and food and ration being provided by the administration, many are refusing and facing the brunt.

On Thursday four students of ITI were beaten by local goons of Aliyar village for refusing to buy grocery from the landlord’s shop. One of the boys is critical and being treated at a local private hospital. “This practice is prevalent everywhere in Gurugram. We are supposed to buy our grocery, vegetables and even medicines from either their shops or the ones they recommend. If we refuse, they beat us. I pay Rs 4,000 for a single room with common toilet and have to pay Rs 1,000 every month to my landlord’s shop and buy kitchen essentials. I have got ration from an NGO. Yet I was asked to buy articles with minimum value of Rs 500 to keep his shop going during the lockdown as he had forgone my rent,” said a resident of the same chawl.

One of the local landlords from Manesar, who has seven such chawls said they gave groceries on credit round the year to these migrants, and now were asked to not take rent. “Rent is our primary income. If they do not pay it and nor even buy from our shops, we will go hungry. It’s a practice followed for years. Why let them break now? We are giving credit also,” said a landlord, who is a resident of IMT, Manesar.