CHATTOGRAM, Apr 23: Although the port city-dwellers have been staying home for the last three weeks amid the second wave of the pandemic, many of them, including the lower middle class and poor segment of the society, have been struggling to get by.
Most of them have been passing their days once fed, half fed or almost unfed as their sources of income have disappeared amid the series of week-long nationwide lockdowns.
During the last 20 days of lockdown, the economic condition of people working in informal sectors, the insolvent and the poor have turned from bad to worse for disappearance of their income-generating source as everything including transports, offices, markets, shops, small or temporary businesses and makeshift shops remained shut due to strict nature of the shutdown.
The city streets have become empty as nobody, except some destitute or squatters, come out of their residence in the unbearable summer heat during the shutdown.
With offices, courts and school-colleges closed, almost all construction work suspended, footpath and roadside shops shut and all business activities closed, Chattogram city, the economic centre of the country, has worn a deserted look.
The ongoing pandemic has also ruined the source of income of many and pushed a notable section of them from the poverty line to the extreme level of poverty.
A few of them are passing their days with what they had saved before the lockdown was clamped on April 5 and some of them are getting by reducing their family expenses. Whereas, the lower-middle class group or poor who have to earn their bread everyday or who are hand-to-mouth, have no income to support themselves, let alone their families, as they have no savings nor any income. They are now worrying for their survival, not livelihood, some city-dwellers said.
"We don't have any source of income right now," said a middle-aged man who lived on vending vegetables in the streets before the lockdown was imposed.
"Before the second wave of pandemic, I used to spend 100 taka per day, now I spend no taka as I can't sell the goods in the streets either because of police obstruction or want of buyers."
"People now don't come out of the streets to buy veg," he added.
Almost all vendors have been rendered jobless due to the strict nature of the lockdown.
Day-labourers and the homeless and the beggars are the worst sufferers. A female beggar said she is spending her days almost unfed for the last few days as none comes out in the streets to give her alms.
Besides, middle-class and lower-middle class people are also in deep crisis.
Drivers and transport workers and floating people have no work now as well as no food. They are passing their days in severe food crises although the CMP, a few other organisations and some individuals are distributing relief items door to door. The fortunate ones who get the relief are living on them at home in slums but homeless people are passing their days in hunger.
Kamal Uddin, a street boy who used to carry the goods at Reajuddin Bazar said, "I have no work for a few weeks. Nobody is giving me food. I waited on footpath for food during day time but none came to give me any money or food. Now, I am begging for food."
Abdus Sabur, a rickshaw-puller said that police prevented him from taking passengers in rickshaw as carrying people in his small carriage will tantamount to breaching the health rules amid the lockdown.
"Police often punctured wheels and even damaged the rickshaw when I tried to carry passengers on the road several times. Now I have given up. So, we cannot work and our families are starving," he added.
Shamsul Islam, a pushcart driver said, "I am the only breadearner in my six-member family. Presently, the coronavirus pandemic rendered me jobless. My family members are passing their days with a serious food crisis."
Khurshida Begum, living at a slum in Shershah area said, "After nine days, I had got some relief materials yesterday. But, 5 kg rice, 2 kg lentil. etc, cannot meet my family's need for food. I could not pay the rent for my makeshift house last month as I have been workless for the last one month."
It may be mentioned that the CMP, district administration officials and others are distributing some goods and assistance among some slum-dwellers and destitute people in the last few weeks with a big segment of the most needy, poor and homeless have not got anything during the three-week long shutdown till Friday.
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