“We are not allowed by our pradhan to leave this facility, whereas some have already left the facility,” said Malti*, wife of Ramdas*.
Ramdas and Malti along with their four children left Jagatpura, Chandigarh when lockdown 3.0 was announced. They reached their hometown Ibrahim Ganj, a small village situated on the border of Unnao and Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh around 18 May.
They travelled via a commercial vehicle after paying a hefty amount only to spend time at the quarantine facility. “There were around 11 of us when we came and pradhan used to guard this place, strictly allowing no one to leave, but now he doesn’t visit,” said daily wage labourer Ramdas.
He further adds,
“Here there is no drinking water facility, it was our friends in the village who provided us with all the essentials.”
When I reached the facility on 24 May, there were only six people left including Ramdas’s one-year-old infant.
“With no facility available for sleeping, we joined the class seats together and used mattress to make it fit for same.”Sukhmilal, Daily Wage Labourer
Sukhmilal adds, “Only two rooms are open and not a single fan is working. During this peak summer time, it’s hard to stay indoors. So we now sleep outside on the floor.”
On 17 May, some people reached Ibrahim Ganj village. They were told by the pradhan to spend 14 days in the quarantine centre. But soon people started procuring permission from the local authority and started to leave. Ramdas with his family, and Sukhmilal are the only ones left in the quarantine facility.
The makeshift facility has been made in a government school with only two classrooms open. With no proper hygiene facility available, the remaining people, including Malti, mother of four, resorts to going outside.
“Rooms were filled with dirt when we reached here. I cleaned it from my clothes to make it liveable. If I hadn’t, we would have suffered more,” said Malti.
Among the two rooms available, only one has seats, with other being empty. Majority of the rooms are locked and washrooms are filled with soil and sand. Not a single tap water is working, leaving them with only a government hand pump.
“I will not leave quarantine facility even if he (pradhan) allowed us because I know, villagers would not let me sit with them until I complete my 14 days,” said Sukhmilal.
A son of the reputed doctor in the village was allowed for home quarantine but these people were not allowed to ask for such facility due to lack of frequent interaction with the village head. With this treatment in the village and no hope left in Chandigarh, they are left with only one choice: To wait until thunderstorms get clear.
(*names changed to protect identity.)
(The author is a student at Indian Institute of Mass Communication. All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)