RAJBIRAJ, SEPTEMBER 9

Prolonged lockdown and prohibitory orders have hit daily wage earners and labourers hard in Saptari district.

The prohibitory orders and restrictions imposed to curb the COVID spread have deprived daily wage earners of their daily bread. Around 150 daily wage earners from various parts of the district visit the headquarters Rajbiraj for job on a daily basis. They carry luggage, clean houses, paint houses and carry bricks and other materials at construction site.

Daily wage earners complained that they had to return empty-handed for lack of job.

“I used to work and buy rice and vegetable with the money earned daily. But, for the past many days, I have been forced to return home empty-handed as there is no job,” said Birendra Kumar Ram. He lamented that lack of work had put him and his family in crisis. “ I am not able to feed my family twice a day due to the prohibitory order,” Ram complained.

No different is the plight of Bidhyananda Gupta of Ranjitpur, Saptari. “I and my family have been eating beaten rice for many days due to lack of money,” Gupta complained.

Though youths and adults can live on beaten rice and noodles, elderly family members and children of daily wage earners are having a hard time.

Labour leader Kedar Dev warned that people would starve to death if relief was not provided. Labourers and daily wage earners lamented that no one had provided them relief for the past three weeks.