Zaveri Bazaar workers out of jobs; find their homes destroyed by Amphan

COVID19 and Cyclone Amphan have come as a double whammy for jewellery market Zaveri Bazars workers from West Bengal who have been jobless since March and now have lost their homes in the storm Most of the over 25 lakh jewellery makers employed in the market are from West BengalWhile there are regular Shramik trains to Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan there havent been many services to West BengalSantu Sardar a worker from Pargana Baruipur village in West Bengal said I lost my home in Cyclone Amphan My entire family is missing I have contacted around 35 friends but none have been able to locate them I am stuck in Mumbai and no one is helping usRaju Pal jewellery makerAnother jewellery maker Raju Pal a resident of Nalikul village in Hoogli district said My family is safe but my home has disappeared My family is living at a relatives place now I lost my job after this lockdown and dont even have money to return home State government should also help us to go home In the village our mango farm is also destroyed I am staying in Zaveri Bazar with other workers I want to return homeI came here to earn money but the conditions have worsened both here and in the village We are farmers and apart from our mango farm my work was the source of income Raju addedSantu Sardar jewellery maker Mahananda Santra jewellery makerAnother worker Mahananda Santra from Hoogli district said I received my salary for March but now I am jobless My employer also told me to return to my native place I want to go my family has been missing since the cyclone hit I am trying to contact them but they are not traceable I am worried and helplessSubtendu Pal jewellery makerWorker Santanu Das said The state governments should take the responsibility of sending us home For the past two months we havent ventured outside Our employers have closed the shops and no one is helping Two days ago my food also got exhausted We workers are helping each other surviveSanjay Sardar Subhamkar Sardar Habib Shaikh and Santu belong to Pargana Baruipur They had registered themselves with the local police station but havent received a response The police told them that workers are being sent only to UP and Rajasthan Subtendu Pal a resident of Hargovindpur in Barddhaman district too lost his home and has not been able to contact his family I have been trying to contact them but all are unreachable I want to reach home at any cost Subtendu saidNo transport availableKumar Jain president of Shree Mumbai Jewellers Association told midday Zaveri Bazaar has over 25 lakh workers who are mostly from West Bengal They specialise in jewellery designing We supplied food till last month but due to restrictions we are unable to supply more But whenever there is a request for food we ensure that something reaches them in time We are also trying to make arrangements for their travel via bus but have not been able to get the permissionsMany workers are out of grains and have been helping feed each otherOnly one Shramik Special has gone to West Bengal so far because of Cyclone Amphan There are no trains available right now all doors are closed Most of the people are going by bus and spending R8000R10000 for the tripThese workers will not return to Mumbai after this experience Zaveri Bazars future is at risk To build trust again is next to impossible They have been here for over two decades but in this worst possible situation no one is with them said Kalidas Sinha Roy general secretary of Bengali Swarna Shilpi Kalyan Sangh of Zaveri BazaarCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news