‘Livelihood gone, but happy to return home’
Ajay Joshi
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, May 6
With folded hands, 28-year-old Sunita Devi waits for her turn to get registered at a transit point here before she would be transported to the railway station. The restlessness to return home in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, and see her two sons is palpable in her moist eyes.
“It became difficult to manage two square meals a day after the curfew was imposed. There was no work. It pained me to see my child sleep on an empty stomach. Now, it seems the situation is getting back to normal. At least, I will be able to eat a healthy food and be among my loved ones on returning home,” she says with her voice trembling.
Her husband, Ram Tilak, chimes in. “We faced several hardships during the lockdown. With no income, I had to sell my mobile phone to buy ration. The phone was dear to my children as they demanded a phone with an inbuilt camera. I somehow managed to make ends meet with the money received after selling the phone.”
The couple has been staying in Jalandhar for eight months. The last month and a half were the toughest. But they are happy to return home. Others as well feel relieved at the thought of finally meeting members of their families.
About 1.13 lakh migrants from Jalandar have applied for the online registration.
But there are some, who are staying back, hoping to find work soon. A group of youths, who worked as loaders before the lockdown, said they would resume working in the fields in two to three days.
