Migrant labourers in Chandigarh bear the brunt of lockdown

It would be better to die from the disease than dying of hunger, said Sanjay Kumar, a migrant worker, stranded here due to the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of coronavirus threat.

Sanjay Kumar, who hails from Uttar Pradesh's Rae Barely, works here as a shoe cobbler. "Whatever money I had, has been spent. I used to send money at home...their living is dependent on whatever I earn. Now I do not have any work. My family is also tense. The administration is not providing any help," he told ANI.

"How should I go back home? Everything is closed. I cannot even walk and go as my home is 800-900-km away. Either we should be sent back home or we should get an arrangement to stay and survive here. It would be better to die from the disease instead of dying of hunger," he added.

Another migrant worker, Bimar from Gorakhpur told ANI that all they need currently is food to survive.

"We are facing a lot of problems. Everything is closed here. The administration provided food to us last evening but we are hungry since morning. We need food. We do not have any work," he added.

The plight of migrant labourers is such that they are unable to even borrow money and buy food for themselves as the shops here are shut following the lockdown.