AS many as 51,500 workers from 23 sectors have lost income in the last four months, only in the town of Eluru of West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, since the imposition of Covid-19 lockdown. According to the urban survey conducted by the CPI(M) in the town, it is estimated that an additional 20,000 weavers, fishermen, tailors, artisans and self employed people have also lost their livelihoods during the pandemic making it tougher to keep their heads above water with each passing day.

While the town constitutes only 5.5 per cent of the district’s population, more than 40 per cent of the Covid-19 positive cases have been reported from here alone. Of the 17,000 Covid-19 positive cases in West Godavari district, 7,000 have been reported to be from this town. It is to be noted that 6,000 of these cases are from slums of Eluru alone making the slum dwellers the most vulnerable population during the pandemic.

In the background of income loss and mounting interest on loans, workers of the unorganised sector and petty self employed people, in a move to stay afloat, have stood in queues at the re-opened wine shops to purchase liquor and resell them to the locals with some margin. 

Initially, people relaxed on hearing about the moratorium announced by the central government on house rents and loan interests. But with the banks and financial institutions warning them of the interest burden they will have to bear in future, many are opting to take handloans to pay the interests. The autorickshaw and other motor vehicle owners who have failed to pay the interest are in deeper trouble as their vehicles could be seized by the financiers, and thereby endanger their livelihoods.

Even though employment is available here and there for a few people after the lockdown has been lifted, these hand loans are now going to be an insurmountable burden. Many of the workers opine that it would take at least a year for life to get back to normalcy.

The plight of nearly 6,000 building workers in the town has gone from bad to worse after the pandemic hit the state. They have not had work for over a year now due to the sand policy crisis. The YSRCP government, after coming to power, has stopped sand mining, and the new policy has caused a shortage of sand and enhanced its cost. With the onset of pandemic, the workers are completely thrown out of work.

Around 8,000 people work in the malls here and have lost their work and wages for the last four months. Managements reduced the number of workers and also reduced one third of the workforce in the name of shrinkage of business. About 5,000 housemaids are also left in the lurch without payment. Even after the lifting of lockdown, their work has not been restored fully. Few people ask them to clean the utensils and wash clothes outside the house barring their entry inside causing much humiliation.

About 3,000 petty business owners sell their goods in the weekly Sunday market. With the district administration enforcing curfew on Sundays, their incomes have been lost leaving them high and dry.

SURVEY RESULTS

S No                                           Sector                                                     No of workers                                                    Months without income
1                                            Shops and malls                                              8,000                                                                            4
2                                            Building workers                                             6,000                                                                          12
3                                            Jute mill workers                                             6,000                                                                            2
4                                            Auto workers                                                   5,000                                                                            3 (less income after unlock)
5                                            Hamalees                                                         2,500                                                                            2 (less income after unlock)
6                                            Hotels and restaurants                                     2,000                                                                           4
7                                            Taxi, motor vehicles                                          2,000                                                                           4
8                                            Automobile shops, sheds                                 2,000                                                                            4
9                                            Private hospital staff                                         2,000                                                                            2 (some jobs terminated)
10                                          Private educational institutes                            2,000                                                                           4
11                                          Sunday weekly market                                      2,000                                                                           4
12                                          Shops, vendors                                                  2,000                                                                           4 (default rents)
13                                          Cigar workers                                                     1,000                                                                           Income reduction
14                                          Hair refiners                                                        1,000                                                                           4
15                                          Hair industry                                                         500                                                                          Min Rs 1000 given by managements
16                                          Agarbatti workers                                                  800                                                                          3 (400 jobs lost)
17                                          Street vendors                                                       400                                                                           2 (less income after unlock)
18                                          Hawkers                                                                 300                                                                           3, (less income after unlock)
19                                          Street food                                                             300                                                                           4
20                                          Hair Saloons                                                           200                                                                           3
21                                          Others                                                                     500                                                                          4

Total                                     46,500 + 5,000 house maids