CHANDPUR: Lockdown is increasing sufferings of the people of all classes of life in Chandpur.
Following the prolonged lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, many families who used to reside in rented houses including pucca and semi-puccaones in the town have started leaving Chandpur town to stay at their village homes. This trend started just before the last Eid and it is still going on.
While leaving for home, many said as there is a longlockdown andschools and colleges are shut for anindefinite period, we are left with no other means to survive let alone reside in rented houses in the town. So we are leaving for homes bag and baggage. In thisawkward circumstances, we rather prefer to stay at village homes to save our money, they added. So, lots of small sign boards of 'To Let' are hanging in every roadand lanes in the town.Flat and house owners and some others have said, "We are incurring heavy loss due to lockdown and corona pandemic".
On the other hand,daily wage earners' sufferings know no bounds too in the town due to lockdown.
A small boy named Arif Hossain (a class five student of a govt primary school in the town's Guakhola Road) was seen to sell guava at a corner of Chandpur-Cumilla Road braving rains for survival.
A young lady Moni(30), who was a domestic help in messes and used to sweep shops, was seenselling vegetables on a van at a corner beside Palerbazar in the town.
Anotherman named Jahangir Mollah (55), a resident of Roghunathpur village under Sadar UZ, said that he was a vegetable vendor at Kawran Bazar, Dhaka. On the eve of lockdown, he returned home and did notgo back to Kawran Bazar. For survival, he is now selling green coconuts on a van on the Chandpur General Hospital premises every day. He earns Tk 250 to Tk 300 per day by selling green coconuts. He said he has a family of four children.
A blind beggar of Puranbazar, A Razzaque (65),said he gets Tk 100 to 140 as alms everyday sitting in a corner of Chandpur Natunbazar-Puranbazar connecting Bridge. He somehow runs his family in great hardship during the lockdown days. He also said, "Due to lockdown people cannot come out to town and rains also prevent people from coming out. So, our income as alms is too little."
Another elderly beggar Amir Hossain (76), a river erosion- affected homeless man, said due to lockdown he earns only Tk 100 to 130 everyday sitting near Chandpur Govt College, Biponibagh and at Rly platform and some other places.
Healso said he has to buy essential drugs for his wife forTk 110 everyday as she is adiabetic patient.
Lockdown has increased our sufferings as people are few in the town. We do not get desired alms, he added.
