Women vegetable vendors forced to walk around 10 kms to return home amid Covid-19 lockdown

A group of women vegetable vendors walked for about 10 kms by carrying unsold vegetables from the city to their homes on Monday as police banned the movement of vehicles as part of effective implementation of Covid-19 lockdown.

Some women of the villages in and around Chitradurga city have been purchasing vegetables from farmers for the past many years and selling the same in the market in the city and this has been the source of their livelihood for many years. They used to return to their homes in autorickshaws or two-wheelers after selling the vegetables. But on Monday, they walked towards their villages carrying sacks of unsold vegetables on their heads, braving the scorching heat.

They were from Gonuru and Bachchaboranahatti in Chitradurga taluk and they walked towards their homes from the city around 11:30 am. Of the eight-member team, only two were male and the remaining vendors were female.

Gonuru villager Chandramma said, "We get up around 3:00 am everyday. We come to the city in an autorickshaw by ferrying vegetables at 4:00 am. After selling those in Thyagaraja market in the city, we used to return home in autorickshaw by afternoon. Following the lockdown, we are forced to walk towards our homes ferrying vegetables."

"We have been part of this business for the past 16 years. We purchase tomatoes, brinjals, beans, carrots and other vegetables from farmers in the evening and sell them in the city the next morning. We earn around Rs 400 to 600 per day. But the lockdown has caused a huge blow to our income," she added.