The coronavirus outbreak has not only affected people’s health in particular, but also it has affected them financially, emotionally, and personally. By and large, people are struggling hard to make their ends meet, especially those who are not salaried but depend on daily vending.
This is the case with the vendors at the local railway station of Ambala. Here vendors have been providing meals and eatables to passengers for the past many years, and now because of the lockdown, they are struggling for their own two-square meal. It’s been five months now, the railways’ operations are lying closed, and so is their work.
The temporary suspension of train services by the Indian Railways has caused severe problems for the workers in and around the station. From tea vendors to autorickshaw drivers are struggling really hard to make their ends meet.
Because of no earnings for the past five months, many workers are compelled to take loans to run their families. Of course, it’s only their earnings that have stopped; otherwise, all the daily expenses from vegetable expenses to electricity bills and children education expenses are in the place, which can’t be avoided at all.
Some who couldn’t arrange for the loan to make their ends meet started working as daily wager so as to earn their livelihood. Some railway vendors even started selling vegetables to make money for their families. A few are working as laborer.
This pandemic has badly hit daily workers and vendors. Moreover, Indian Railways had no scheme ever to help these vendors to overcome the economic crises. One of the vendors, said in a statement, “Ever since this lockdown, I have not earned a single rupee, and now I am worried about how to sustain and repay the loan that I have taken during the lockdown.”
Undoubtedly, the current situation is pretty grim, and people have no idea how to sustain the whole thing. We can probably expect to have a vaccination for the coronavirus and get back to our everyday life soon!