Stranded in Steel City, she walks 100 km barefoot

“There is no hope that normalcy will return in near future,” she said. However, she refused to divulge further details about her family members.
The tribal woman carrying her child heading to Paderu due to lack of work following lockdown in Visakhapatnam on Saturday I G Satyanarayana
The tribal woman carrying her child heading to Paderu due to lack of work following lockdown in Visakhapatnam on Saturday I G Satyanarayana

VISAKHAPATNAM: Holding a 2-year-old son in her arm and carrying her belongings on head, a 35-year-old tribal woman is on a nearly 100 km walk from Vizag to Paderu in Agency area following a 21-day lockdown announced by the Centre to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The picking up of construction activity in the State after the end of sand scarcity had prompted several tribals from the Agency area to migrate to Vizag city in search of livelihood. 

The tribal woman carrying her
child heading to Paderu due to
lack of work following lockdown
in Visakhapatnam on Saturday
I G Satyanarayana

Now, the woman, who refused to reveal her name and halt for a while to have a brief conversation with TNIE as she might have been stopped by police, is going back to Paderu with her family members as all their livelihood opportunities have closed down. Going back home is not an easy task for many people like this tribal woman as there are no proper transportation facilities following the lockdown. “Just three months ago, we migrated to Visakhapatnam with our children as the construction activity picked up.

Now, we have no work here following the 21-day lockdown and all the money saved by us all these days got exhausted,’’ she said, while continuing her journey when she was spotted at Thatichetlapalem on Saturday. Asked how she could complete the 100 km journey, the young mother said they have no other go. “We will halt at some village at night and continue our journey the next day morning,” she said, hoping that they may find an auto once they enter the Agency area. 

“There is no hope that normalcy will return in near future,” she said. However, she refused to divulge further details about her family members. Most of the people, who migrated to Vizag for livelihood from Paderu and Srikakulam, are on their way back home on foot as the law enforcement agencies are not allowing them to go in groups. When the issue came up for discussion at the district review meeting, Paderu MLA K Bhagya Lakshmi, admitting that tribals are returning to Paderu and other Agency areas on foot, urged the District Collector to initiate measures to check migration by providing livelihood to them. The people who returned from Vizag should be subjected to medical tests, the MLA said.

Same was the tale of another couple from Anakapalle, who used to sell snacks on a pushcart at Pithapuram Colony as they chose to walk back home carrying their utensils.   “Our earnings are just enough to feed the family. We are not able to buy groceries even for our family needs now. Hence, we decided to go back to our native place,’’ the couple said.

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