It is a house just by a name, actually, it a makeshift tent made up of polythene. Those who live from hand to mouth with doing hard work are living here. These homeless people living here in crowded circumstances are known as the slum dwellers.
Thousands of people live in the slums of Bhadrapara and Tultuli Para in Rajshahi city. One of them is Alamin Khan, who is living here with his sick wife and two children. They are now living in hardship because due to the lockdown of Covid 19, they are jobless.
I was doing well before. Now, after the pandemic situation, there is no work at all. So with very little income, we are passing our day, and continue treatment to my sick wife. She is also doing very light work.
Polly Begum used to work in a student mess. She is now unemployed as it has been closed since the beginning of the pandemic. Lack of earnings, it became very tough for them to survive.
We used to live from hand to mouth. My husband is a painter (Mechanic). He used to work one to two days a week before. During this pandemic, he has no work at all. Now he has been just staying at home for three months with his broken leg. Along with our five children, we are now living with the help of people.
The slum dwellers are mainly day laborers. Some are rickshaw pullers, some are hairdressers. There are some small traders and domestic workers. They said during the Covid 19 situation their income has dropped by half compared to the normal period.
My husband was jobless for four months during the lockdown. This daughter used to collect financial support from the market. That was only our subsistence. Our family used to live with that. Besides, the commissioner helps us with 2-5 kg of rice and pulses. Our days would go by with. Now he is working as a rickshaw puller. My elder daughter also helps to collect money. We are now passing our days with their incomes.
I have no work, have no nothing. Nobody gives me any work. Taking financial support from door to door, I am trying to survive my family.
Even living in the city, the urban poor people are deprived of modern facilities. They have been at risk since the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic. They are at high risk of coronavirus contraction since they can not maintain social distance. Women and children are in more crisis.
There is no coronavirus infected patient in our slum with the grace of Allah.
Hope we will not be affected by the Corona Virus. Because we have to work with clay and garbage in dustbin. We do not feel nausea for it. So Allah will protect us.
The local representative noted that to solve the various problem of slum dwellers like overcrowding, living all members in a single room, using the same kitchen, same toilet, and overall economic crisis, etc. including Govt. all should take initiative.
Rajshahi is called a city of education. Due to the lockdown of the educational institutions, the income of the common people is in a big crisis. That is why the mass people of my locality are living a very inhuman life. They are in great trouble. To overcome this situation, an urgent relief program should be taken immediately as per the first one.
A special collaboration is needed to bring back their economic activities to a neo-normal.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics Report 2014, there are 104 slums in Rajshahi City Corporations where 1202 families and 38663 people are living. In Rajshahi district, there are 43934 marginalized people are living in 11591 families.