Migrants who come here for employment plead for rent-free accommodation

The poor and the marginalised, who migrate to Vijayawada for employment to make ends meet, are left more with a bitter taste than food in their mouths at the end of the day. Lack of jobs drives them to become street vendors for a daily wage.

Money they earn is not enough for a family to sustain itself. “I pay ₹7,000 per month just to have a roof over my head. It includes the water bill, the electricity bill and the rent, ” says Sarada, who sells roasted corn.

Not enough work

Sarada and her husband moved to Vijayawada five years ago. Her husband works as a daily wage worker. “On good days he makes about ₹400 and I ₹300 per day. With that money, I can take care of the house. But the problem is that my husband does not get work every day. He works for about 15 to 20 days a month depending on the season.”

Rent consumes the lion’s share of their meagre incomes. “If the government could allot us houses or rent us houses at a lower cost, we could actually start saving some money and our lives would get a lot better,” says another vendor.

Some vendors, who cannot afford their own cart, take them on rent at ₹50 per day. Considering the cost of procurement of vegetables/fruits, all they are left with by the end of the day is less than ₹200 to ₹250.

These vendors also have to deal with the police. “When the police are on their rounds, we are supposed to cover our carts. And if you are new to the area, they will ask you to remove your cart,” says Kumar a fruit vendor.

A 19-year-old vendor Sai however says, “If you know how to deal with the police, they will be good with you. If you don’t, they’ll ask you to move your cart.”