Dharamsala: Away from home, daily-wagers in search of jobs

Tribune News Service

Deepankar Sharda

Dharamsala, March 8

For 30-year-old Chhattisgarh’s Munmun, a mother of two, coming here was not an option, but was out of compulsion to help her husband earn for the family.

Ready for any work

Daily-wagers earn Rs 600 for a day’s job. Additionally, they get travelling expenses after being hired. Most are semi-skilled labourers, but are ready to undertake any job to make an income.

While the streets of this unique hill station are usually thronged with smiling faces of national and international tourists, the morning scenes at Kotwali Bazaar depict the other side of life.

“It’s been two years now that I am staying here with my husband, who is a daily-wager. It was a government holiday, so I had to bring my kids as well,” said Munmun. “Coming here and waiting for long hours to get some work is a routine affair. There are times when we don’t even get any work call and have to return to our room empty-handed. The first thing we do after waking up in morning is pray for a job,” she further added. Munmun and her husband, Rajesh, stay in a rented room at Rs 1,900 per month. It was Rajesh who moved here from Batrali village (district Bastar) after the pandemic.

“It’s tough to stay in these chilly conditions and work. Over the years, the demand for daily-wagers has increased here. This has attracted many village youths to settle here. The majority of population (daily-wagers) is from Chhattisgarh, followed by Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” said Golu, who lives here with his uncle.

When asked what stops these labourers from going to cities like Delhi, the 40-year-old Devant from Pipra (Chhattisgarh) village, explained, that the need of work is different here than in other metro cities. “There are no small-scale industries which need expertise to run machines or perform regular tasks. The demand of labour is majorly for construction work. Also, to find a job in cities like Delhi is tough as it is already filled with people having various skills.”

These daily-wagers usually go back to their native place once a year, mostly during the peak winters. However, this year, they will be going back especially to cast vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

“We will go to cast our vote most likely by the end of the month. After spending two to three months, I will return,” said Kishore, a young lad. When asked, if they get paid to vote by politicians, the youngsters smirked and denied.

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