Lockdown over for now, but their miseries continue

CNG auto-rickshaw driver Mohammad Anwar on Wednesday made a trip from the capital's Elephant Road to Mouchak at only Tk100. During the regular time, the ride could not be any less than Tk150-200. The Wednesday traffic was also notorious and Anwar got trapped in traffic congestion for around 30 minutes.          

"There has almost been no income for the last two weeks. I am in serious trouble. Now I take passengers at whatever fare they agree to pay as I need cash," said a worried Anwar.    

"I will be allowed on roads just for the next seven-eight days, then comes the next lockdown," he said.

The three-wheeler driver said he could not pay the house rent in July, and was doubtful whether he would be able to pay the next one too. "Eid is just around the corner. I just want to manage some good food for my family on Eid day."    

He also has debts waiting for repayment. "We depend on the passengers. I got the trip after waiting for two hours, but the fare was half the regular rate," he added.   

Like Anwar, many low-income people passed the first day of lockdown relaxation amid worries over income and fears over what is awaiting them. 

Bangladesh imposed a 14-day lockdown on 1 July to rein in the runaway infection rates. The government eased the movement curbs for eight days centring the Eid until 23 July.

"The last 14 days were terrible. These seven-eight days are like a blessing for us as we will be able to manage some food on the Eid day," said Mohammad Raja, a porter at Kamalapur Railway Station.   

Raja, however, said he was still not sure how he and his four-member family would survive the next lockdown from 24 July. "No one helped us by giving even Tk10 in the last lockdown, and I do not expect anything in future too."

Another porter Mohammad Ali said all the 203 porters of Kamalapur had come to the station regularly, passed the day idly and then returned home empty-handed in the last lockdown.   

"Our income does not increase though the lockdown is lifted. We could earn only Tk150-200 until the afternoon, whereas we used to earn manifolds," he said.    

Mohammad Ali said they have no option except to depend on the fate in the next 14-day movement curbs.

Uttam, a taxi driver at the station, was also worried about the daily income and the future.

"People do not have much in their pocket. They now opt for rickshaws instead of calling a taxi," he commented.   

Uttam said he secretly made some trips in the last lockdown, and struggled to run his nine-member family with the paltry income.   

"Once our daily income was around Tk700-1,000. That plummeted to Tk250-500 in the last two-three months," said another taxi driver Ajijul Islam at the station. He said all the 40 drivers there have been going through the same situation.   

CNG auto-rickshaw driver Ashraful said there are comparatively more people on roads Wednesday than the previous, but the passengers are not even saying the "rational fares".

"Besides, the trips are few. I came out in the early morning and got a trip at Tk200 until noon. But the income in regular time would be Tk500-700," he said.    

The rickshaw pullers also said the fares just changed overnight on Thursday.

"I took passengers from Rampura to Mouchak at Tk40 today, but it was Tk50-60 just on Wednesday," said Mohammad Shahin, a rickshaw puller in the capital.      

There were huge crowds at shopping malls, long-bound bus counters and rail stations on Wednesday as the city witnessed a severe traffic jam too.