SAMBALPUR: The struggle for survival got even harder for nomads in Sambalpur and Bargarh in the coronavirus lockdown. The nomadic groups had come to Western Odisha few months back for livelihood but are now stranded here without food and money.
At least 21 families with over 100 members had come to Sambalpur in January from Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh to sell steel utensils during the Sambalpur Lok Mahotsav. As their wares sold well, they decided to stay back for a longer period and camped at the PHED ground near Ainthapali.
They continued selling the utensils till coronavirus outbreak struck 10 days back. At present, the families with 47 children are stuck at their camp with no food or even money to buy grocery. While most of them slept on an empty stomach in the first few days, a social organisation started providing food to them from Thursday. However, volunteers are not finding it difficult to feed so many people at one time as they are also distributing food among destitute in the city.
Similarly in Bargarh, seven nomadic families with around 25 members had come to the town during Dhanu Yatra this year from Chhattisgarh. Most members of the group worked as ragpickers and fed their children with whatever they earned. Until few weeks back, each family earned around `100- `150 every day which was sufficient to buy food. But since the lockdown, they are going through a difficult phase. Initially, some of them went to the railway station, temples and other public places where f ree food was being distributed.
They managed with whatever little they got but on Friday, members of a social organisation visited their camp and provided them food. However, the nomads asked the volunteers to help them with grocery so that they can prepare food. Tthe district administration after being informed of their plight has assured to provide them food till the lockdown ends.