The coronavirus outbreak has added insult to injury for daily wage labourers, especially construction workers, in the Port City, who have been recovering from the aftershocks of sand crisis.
Around three lakh daily wage labourers are on the brink of unemployment following most businesses being shut down and construction work being suspended as precautionary measure against Covid-19.
There are allegations that GVMC staff have been closing down shops, including eateries, as against the higher officials’ instruction to only shut shopping malls and multiplexes. Moreover rumours have only compounded the problem.
A large section of the three lakh daily wagers are from neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram. Many of them stay at Allipuram, Jnanapuram, Thatichetlapalem, Kailasapuram, Isukathota, Venkojipalem, Arilova, Chinnagadili, Thotagaruvu, Madhurawada, Akkayyapalem and One Town areas.
But since the coronavirus positive case was reported in the city, people are hesitating commissioning work.
“My employer told me that till March 31, there will be no work as the virus threat is looming large. We came from Palasa in Srikakulam district to Vizag for livelihood eight years ago. We can survive if we do not have work for one or two days, beyond that we will not manage,” said a construction worker K Ramunaidu of Isukathota area said.
Men usually earn Rs 400 to Rs 450, while women get Rs 300 to Rs 350 per day. “Although there is no instruction to suspend construction work, we have decided not to take risks. So we will slow down our work till March 31,” a builder, on condition of anonymity, said.
District joint collector Venugopala Reddy told that there are no instruction to close small shops and eateries. “We are urging people to minimise their routine travel and practice social distancing as part of precautionary measures against COVID 19,” he said.