Bhawanipatna: Despite several poverty alleviation programmes launched by the state governments and Central government, there are many people whose lives begin and end on the footpath.
Dushman Singh, a member of family comprising 15 members, including children and elders, of Ranchi town in Jharkhand, says his life cycle starts from footpath and would end on the same footpath, if some miracle does not happen.
Dushman’s family has been staying at Hatapada in Bhawanipatna town for three months now. Barring elderly members and children, all are doing their shares to keep the wolf from the door.
The male members, including Dushman, collect cartons while the female members collect plastic bottles and tin containers besides drawing tattoos using their traditional method.
They go out early in the morning and come back at dusk. Though they are vulnerable to get infected with diseases, they care little and go scrounging for broken cartons, glass bottles, plastic bottles and tin canes in garbage heaps. Be it rain or sunshine, they have little choice but to go out, or else the entire family would go hungry.
When asked about his earning, Dushman says he earns anything between Rs 300 and Rs 400. Similarly the women members admit that they earn something about Rs 300 from drawing tattoos and Rs 350 to Rs 400 from collecting broken glass bottles and plastic bottles.
“We have come here to feed our stomachs. In the morning, the only thing that haunts us is to arrange food for the day. We never think what would happen the next day,” they observed.
If a common man like us ever thinks about living their lives even for a day, living it even for a moment would make us feel the difficulties they encounter every day. They don’t have any future planning. Wherever they go, they live on footpaths. Getting up early in the morning, going out to earn their livelihood, coming back in the evening and making bivouacs after dinner.
“If we don’t have a good income here, then we will go back to our hometown Ranchi and stay there until our next destination is decided,” they maintain.
The government is making so many plans and programmes but why are these families still struggling to eke out a living, ask many who can’t help noticing them at Hatapada these days on their commute.
PNN