A widow who lost her job due to the lockdown in Aligarh was admitted to a hospital along with her five children reportedly after days of starvation. The 40-year-old woman, Guddi, told mediapersons that after she lost her husband to COVID-19 last year, she was the sole breadwinner and worked at a factory. A few months ago, she lost her job as the factory was shut down owing to lockdown. The family hails from Mandir ka Nagla area under Sasni Gate police station area.
“My daughter got ill and was treated but soon after that, the whole family fell ill. We were down with fever and had no food. No shopkeeper was ready to give us ration and I do not have a ration card either. I sought help from the village pradhan but he refused,” Guddi said.
She said they survived on chapatis which their neighbours gave them for some weeks but even they stopped giving food after some time, as they said they could not help her daily.
The woman said that her eldest son who worked as a daily wage construction worker also lost his job due to the lockdown following which all the sources of income dried up.
After the news of her family’s ordeal spread, District Magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh rushed a team of officials on Wednesday to extend relief, an official release said. A team of three officials, led by SDM Kunwar Bahadur Singh, investigated the matter and provided immediate relief, including food grain, other food items and a sum of Rs 5,000, to the affected family.
Doctors treating her at the Malkhan Singh District Hospital said three of them have been hospitalised but they were taking care of all the family members. Chief Medical Officer of Aligarh Dr R Kishan said, “The entire family lost their jobs during lockdown. They were admitted to the hospital and we are trying to give them the best possible treatment. They have a fever and the physicians are taking care of them. They are also malnourished. Their situation has improved and they are on a high-protein diet.”
Meanwhile, Sunil Kumar, who runs a social organisation, came forward to provide ration to the impoverished family.
Vishnu Kumar Bunty of the organisation, which has been helping people hit by the pandemic, said a door-to-door survey should be undertaken to trace those whose livelihood has been snatched away by the successive lockdowns.
Meanwhile in Bareilly, two children were forced to starve for three days after their father commited suicide. According to reports, Manoj Dayal of Gayatri Nagar had a tiff with his wife after which she left home. Dayal worked with a private firm in Noida but he lost his job due to lockdown.
Upset with the tiff, Manoj hanged himself and committed suicide on June 13. His 6-year-old son Wishu and 4-year-old daughter Myari starved for three days and it was only after the body started decaying that they came out of their house.
Neighbors found Manoj hanging from the ceiling and they informed police. Both the children were handed over to their uncle while the police started further probe.