Lockdown repercussions: Inflation and growing fears of unrest

Blue-collar workers await government assistance to help meet ends

FAISALABAD: Daily wagers and labourers suffer in the aftermath of the government’s health emergency lockdown.

Local area workers as well as those hailing from the outskirts of the district face problems as lack of work mars their days.

Thousands of labourers who arrive in Ghanta Ghar Chowk, Jattan Wala Chowk, Narawala Road Pakistani Chowk, Peoples Colony, Qadirabad Chowk and along the main highways of the city for work are in a dire state.

In the absence of administrative strategies to provide ration to working class at their homes, hungry labourers are waiting for a miracle to ease their hardships.

Plagued by hunger, they await the administration to develop a road map to provide them the means to satiate their hunger. So far, philanthropists, members of parliament and district administration have failed to provide them with food supplies.

The Express Tribune asked Akram, a labourer sat at a sidewalk near Ghanta Ghar Chowk, as to why he was sitting there despite a lockdown, he replied, “During normal days, we earn around six to seven thousand rupees after working for a week and now that we are out of work we cannot provide for our families.”

“We generally need nearly Rs6,000 a week, how will we manage to live on monthly Rs3,000 [package announced by Prime Minister]?” he questioned.

Muhammad Arshad, a construction worker who used to earn Rs1,300 daily wage, said he came to the city after traveling nearly 42 kilometres in search of livelihood but has failed to secure a job since a week.

“I cannot go back to my town as I have no money to go back.”

A power loom worker, Ghulam Shabbir, said he was laid off 10 days ago after the factory at Jhang Road witnessed a slump in business.

“The factory owner threatened me with police detention when I asked him to pay off my balance,” his voice broke down while speaking.

To add to the misery, the charitable wagon delivering daily meals to the underprivileged has been forbidden to continue operations, a daily wager Rehmat told The Express Tribune, adding that the police deputed at the clock tower scolds labourers and orders them to disperse.

A resident of Raja Colony said he earned Rs1,500 per day through masonry projects during the good times. Anwar said the government should make a record of the informal workforce and get rid of the inept administration to help those in need.

Hopes of steady sustenance have dimmed among blue collar workers as businesses and markets closed down. A worker, Nawaz said, he feared he would die of hunger instead of a coronavirus infection.

Price hike

Citizens are also wary of shopkeepers selling food items and essential commodities at high prices.

A grocery store owner, Dil Nawaz, said hoarding of goods by citizens has led to an increased demand. To take advantage of the situation, some shopkeepers and retailers stocked basic commodities to sell these at a higher rate.

Mohammad Younus, a wholesaler explained that the closure of markets has also disrupted the goods supply leading to an increase in the prices of almost all items by Rs8-10.

“Most shopkeepers are selling goods at a price higher than the fixed government rate. The district administration and the price control magistrates are not paying any attention to this lawlessness,” Nadeem, a disgruntled citizen protested.

Health emergency

The coronavirus pandemic has sparked fear in the public. Citizens understand that the lockdown has been imposed for their own safety and security.

Ahsan said he understood the logic behind this strategy however “The sudden implementation of lockdown by the government has resulted in panic.”

On the other hand, health experts continue to warn citizens against unnecessary travel.

“People should spend time inside their homes to avert a coronavirus infection,” District Health Officer Dr Bilal Ahmad stressed.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2020.