The lockdown due to coronavirus struck the migrant workers the hardest in Delhi and was the reason behind the journey of Phul Singh and Rekha along with their three children, Ram and Savita with their daughter, Reena and Jaiprakash, and their two sons back home on foot from the national capital.
3 families, same story. No work, no money, no food.
India Today TV caught up with Jaiprakash and his sons who were walking on the Delhi-Noida route towards Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.
Carrying backpacks, the three weren’t sure of the route but all they knew was that they had to leave Delhi and reach their home in Uttar Pradesh. The way didn’t scare the trio. What scared them was hunger and uncertainty over the lockdown.
It was after receiving a distress call from his son that 55-year-old Jaiprakash travelled from Aligarh to fetch his children back. They both work as daily wagers. The three set out on foot to travel 162 km because there was no mode of transport available.
Speaking with India Today TV, they said they had no work when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced lockdown and there was a worry that it might extend beyond 21 days.
Jaiprakash said, “Our relatives back home started receiving messages on WhatsApp about the extension of lockdown. It really scared the family and I left for Delhi after receiving my son’s calls.”
Taking a philosophical take on the situation, he said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Help will be granted in some form, I have come to fetch my sons if I will not come to their rescue who will? I have some money on me, enough to buy biscuits but staying in Delhi is not an option as we don’t know what the government wants.”
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