KOCHI: With their finances drying up due to lack of jobs, the families living in various colonies in the city are finding it hard to make both ends meet. Nearly all the breadwinners in these families are daily wage earners.“The situation at Udaya Colony, P&T Colony and nearby areas might go out of hand in the coming days because the provisions the hundreds of families living in the colonies have dried up,” said Sr Anisha of Udaya Bhavan, SB Convent at Gandhinagar. According to her, there are around 300 families of daily wage earners living at Karithala, Krishna Nagar, Udaya Colony and P&T colony.
“When we came to know their situation, we decided to come out of the convent and distribute milk and bread,” said Sr Anisha. The kids are going without milk and other food that is essential to provide them with the necessary immunity, she said.
According to her, even the families did not even get the full amount of rice promised by the government. “They got only 4 kg of rice,” she said. According to Ravi S, a resident, the provisions will not last. “Even after the lockdown period gets over, it will be long before any of us starts earning again. Only after we get our wages will we be able to replenish our stocks,” he said.
“Many of us did stock provisions before the lockdown, but never thought it will be so long and that we will have to go without work for so long,” he said. According to Sr Anisha, these families were provided with kits after the MLA was notified of the situation.”But that is not enough. We need more people to join in and help these poor families tide over the situation,” she said.