For G.Mohanraj, 31, of Woraiyur in Tiruchi, an electrician-cum-plumber, the past 30 days has been the harshest period of his life as he had been rendered jobless.
With an ailing and aged mother to take care of, his daily wage of about ₹ 450 was crucial to keep the family afloat. With no savings left, after having married off his two sisters, the lockdown has caused a severe crisis in the family.
“We have been struggling to keep ourselves afloat. We have been run out of groceries. We have been eating at Amma Unavagam some days. The house owner has been considerate and has not pressed for the rent of ₹3,000. But I don’t know how long we can survive this way,” he says.
Though Mr.Mohanraj and his ilk are normally in high demand, many people hesitate to call plumbers or electricians for work in their houses or establishments. “They don’t want to allow outsiders on their premises due to fear of virus spread. Even when a few call us for emergencies, we are not able to go as the police stop us en route,” he says.
His late father had worked hard to help him earn a diploma in electrical engineering. Ever since his father’s death, Mr.Mohanraj has been the family’s sole bread winner. But now he is not sure whether things would return to normal even after the lockdown is lifted. Like many in his field, Mohanraj had not registered himself with the Construction Workers Welfare Board and has not been able to get the relief announced by the government for unorganised sector workers. Being a member of Tiruchi District Electricians, Plumbers and Rewinders Society is some solace. The association and its secretary, V.Murugesan, have been arranging supply of some basic commodities to poor workers. “But how long can they help us. If they allow me to do at least one or two work, I will earn a few hundreds to keep things going,” says Mr.Mohanraj.
The association has petitioned the district administration seeking permission to allow workers to attend to at least emergency works. “There are people calling us desperately in situation such as a drinking water motor failure. But our members are not able to go out due to lockdown restrictions,” he says. The association had requested the administration to issue passes or allow workers with identity cards issued by the society to attend to emergency work. But so far, their plea has not been accepted.
According to Mr.Murugesan, there were 950 members in his society and many more outside it. “The extension of the lockdown has aggravated their financial crisis. We are trying to support poor members as far as possible by distributing some essentials but that is not adequate. Only a handful of members have got the relief given through the welfare board,” Mr.Murugesan says.
Some of the members of the society are contractors who run small electrical or rewinding shops. “I have a shop and employ four persons. But since the shop is closed, I don’t know how will I manage to pay salary to the employees,” says PA.Laser Rajendran, president of the society.
Many plumbers and electricians, who are daily wage earners, are being pushed into a debt trap as they have to take loans to keep families afloat, he says. A majority of plumbers and electricians are semi-skilled and semi-literate and have not registered with the welfare board. “The government should support plumbers, electricians and rewinders even if they are not members of the board,” says Mr.Murugesan.
