Long queues in the sun for a meal, yet hundreds go hungry in Chandigarh

Chandigarh: It is 9 am, but hundreds have gathered at the Tin-Shed Colony in Sector 52 for free meals to be distributed four hours later.

Among them are 14-year-old Ranjana and her 8-year-old brother. They are surviving on the two meals provided by the UT administration in a day as their parents remain stranded in Uttar Pradesh. Sometimes, however, the food finishes quickly before their turn comes.

Food not sufficient

Hindustan Times on Tuesday found the queue for free meals stretching almost up to one km.

Almost 3,000 families of labourers here are struggling to make ends meet as jobs have dried up following the curfew because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Watch | Long queues for a meal in Chandigarh’s Khajeri village, yet hundreds go hungry

In fact, some people, in their desperation to be ahead of others, have left their plates to reserve places in the queue by as early as 7 am.

One hour after lunch distribution begins at 1 pm, the food, comprising cooked rice and pulses (dal) and rice, is over, while over a 100 people wait to be fed.

Others say whatever food they have collected is not enough to feed their families.

“There are eight members in my family, but I’ve got food for just three. I was turned away when I asked for more,” rues 40-year-old Sunita.

“We are dying of hunger. What will we do with just a handful of rice and daal?” questions 35-year-old Sandeep.

“Issey acha hai ki hum mar jaye (It’s better to die).”

For many, a whole day goes by waiting for meals “I spend the whole day standing in line for lunch and then dinner. I don’t know how long this ordeal will last,” says 28-year-old Rashmi

Soaring temperatures a big challenge

The heat as temperatures in Chandigarh cross 36 degrees Celsius, is making things worse. Bimla, 45, worries she will get a heat stroke after standing in the sun for hours. “My husband is ill. I have three daughters, what can I do?” she asks. “What if I also fall ill? Who will take care of me and my family?”

“It’s getting harder by the day with the onset of summer,” says Mamta, another woman from the colony.

“The authorities must help,” she says, her eyes pleading.

More distribution points

While SDM (south) SK Jain could not be reached for comments, director sports, Tejdeep Singh Saini, overseeing food distribution in UT, denied any shortage of essentials.

“Our daily distribution began with 15,000 persons on March 24, which has increased to 55,000 now,” he said, adding that they will streamline the system in Sector 52.

Terming the long queues for food a “cruel joke” as people were still going hungry, area councillor Chanderwati Shukla said: “Officials must visit the areas and see how the system can be streamlined.”