TIRUCHY: The lockdown has crippled the livelihood of many fish cart riders in Tiruchy. These daily labourers who make a living by transporting goods to construction sites and markets narrate their ordeal of struggle to make ends meet as they no longer receive any work. All they hope is the lockdown be lifted at the earliest.
“People like us do not have any savings. We will be able to handle the lockdown only for one or two days. It is difficult for 21 days. Though the government has done it for people’s protection, our livelihood is affected,” said Muthupandy, a non-motorised cycle fish cart rider in Kajapettai.
On the other hand, the fear of vehicle seizure has added to the woes. “Many of us use motorised fish carts as we cannot afford an auto. We spend Rs 25,000 to 30,000 for it. However, most of the public and police are considering us traffic violators. With lockdown in place, the police had put barricades at various places. The ongoing situation will affect more than 100 fish cart riders in the city,” said Shankar, a fish cart rider.
Meanwhile, the mobile vegetable vendors have come as a relief for many households. Many rely on them for vegetables and this has come as a big relief for the vendors. “We are getting more customers as several residents are not going to markets. Since there is high demand, I am planning to fetch more vegetable,” said Sivagami, a mobile vegetable vendor.