S. A. Shofiee, Sylhet :
Day labourers in Sylhet are worst sufferers of blockade, shutdown. Different places where day labourers gather like Upashar, Mirabazar, Bandorbazar and Dargahgate are most of them return home empty-handed almost every day.
Most of the labourers have their families back at village homes and they have to send money to them regularly. If it is not sent timely their family members are to pass days half-fed and sometimes unfed.
Some of them have already left Sylhet to do something else in their villages to eke out a living there while others switched to other professions.
Asma, a divorcee, lives at Tilagor with her daughter’s family and she has worked as a day labourer for 20 years. About a month ago she fell ill as her sinuses swelled up with a severe headache for which she could not work for quite a long time and she had to spend all her savings on treatment.
She said she was now flat broke with not a penny even to buy a piece of bread. Like Asma Begum other day labourers have also similar stories to tell.
Faruk Molla who worked as a day labourer in Sylhet city has recently left his profession. Now he sells betel leaf and cigarette in the Sylhet for his daily expense.
He has wife, five daughters and one son at his home district in Sunamgonj. He regularly
sends money to his family members.
Faruk said: “I cannot earn as much as I could from my previous profession but it helps me just to survive somehow in Sylhet city.” He was not able to send any money to his family last month.
Day labourers in Sylhet are worst sufferers of blockade, shutdown. Different places where day labourers gather like Upashar, Mirabazar, Bandorbazar and Dargahgate are most of them return home empty-handed almost every day.
Most of the labourers have their families back at village homes and they have to send money to them regularly. If it is not sent timely their family members are to pass days half-fed and sometimes unfed.
Some of them have already left Sylhet to do something else in their villages to eke out a living there while others switched to other professions.
Asma, a divorcee, lives at Tilagor with her daughter’s family and she has worked as a day labourer for 20 years. About a month ago she fell ill as her sinuses swelled up with a severe headache for which she could not work for quite a long time and she had to spend all her savings on treatment.
She said she was now flat broke with not a penny even to buy a piece of bread. Like Asma Begum other day labourers have also similar stories to tell.
Faruk Molla who worked as a day labourer in Sylhet city has recently left his profession. Now he sells betel leaf and cigarette in the Sylhet for his daily expense.
He has wife, five daughters and one son at his home district in Sunamgonj. He regularly
sends money to his family members.
Faruk said: “I cannot earn as much as I could from my previous profession but it helps me just to survive somehow in Sylhet city.” He was not able to send any money to his family last month.
