Hyderabad: Vendors struggle to make ends meet due to lockdown

HYDERABAD: With the government allowing only vegetable and fruit sellers to carry on their business during lockdown, majority of the street vendors and hawkers are finding it tough to make ends meet. Hawkers dealing with ready-made clothes, operating tiffin centres and fast food stalls are among those who have temporarily lost their livelihood due to the lockdown.
Vinod Kumar Jaiswal, who runs a fast food centre in Hi-Tec City, said, “I used to earn Rs 700 a day.Now, with everything shut, my pockets are empty.Of the four kids I have, three are dependent on me and one has a fast food centre of his own. We all have no choice but to sit at home. The savings I have will not last more than a week.” Sharing his struggle, Suresh S, who sells women’s jewellery on a footpath in Dilsukhnagar, said, “I have three children. I have been borrowing from others to meet my expenses.”
Faced with an uncertain future, vendors are seeking government support. S Venkat Mohan, state president, Telangana Street Vendors and Hawkers Union, said, “Compensation must reach vendors immediately.”