A week after the nationwide lockdown for containment of the novel cornavirus came into force, several thousands of construction workers in Manapparai-Vaiyampatti belt have their fingers crossed as they have are left with no money.
Absence of agricultural activity in the region has dealt a double whammy.
The labourers who used to make a living by working daily at construction sites in Tiruchi city and suburbs have now been pushed into a situation of complete dependency for livelihood on the government relief of ₹1,000 per family card holder for the lockdown period for containment of novel corona virus.
The curtailment of train services had dealt a severe blow to their livelihood. The workers used to avail themselves of the utility of the season tickets for to and fro travel to Tiruchi and back. The construction sector in Tiruchi has always been entirely dependent on the passenger train service between Tiruchi and Dindigul.
“It is because of the presence of workers from the Manapparai-Vaiyampatti belt that the construction industry in the city has not found the need to employ work force from the Northern States,” Babu, a building contractor, said.
Though the government has taken steps to ensure farm activities are not affected, it has meant precious little for the daily labourers. For, the farming sector in that region is in a dire crisis. The lockdown has meant that the farmers have no option but to helplessly let the flowers they have cultivated on thousands of acres to wither away on the fields.
Unlike in the case of agricultural crops, the flower cultivators are required to incur heavy costs for electricity. In fact, the flower cultivators pay hefty amounts as deposit for securing power connection, Muthukrishnan, a flower trader said.
The farmers spent as much as ₹2.70 per sapling from the nurseries in Hosur for raising the flower crop. But, all have gone waste.
Private loans
In fact, a good number of farmers abandoned agriclture and took to construction work after the Gaja cyclone caused destruction to their standing crops. With only hope for better times in their minds, the farmers mobilised the money by pledging jewellery and raising private loans at exorbitant interest rates to raise the crops.
There is no scope now to extricate them from the debt trap. There is a huge possibility of penury claiming lives in the Manapparai-Thuvarnkurichi-Marungapuri belt, a farmer observed.
