Lockdown: Seasonal workers like AC, cooler mechanics long for work

New Delhi, April 13 (SocialNews.XYZ) Apart from the daily wagers, who are facing problems of livelihood, seasonal mechanics are also bearing the brunt of the corona lockdown. Every year at the onset of summers, the AC and Cooler mechanics have ample business to do, but due to the lockdown the work is stalled, and business is nil, which means that these people will make no earnings for the season.

Mohammad Hasan, who runs an AC mechanic shop in Okhla said, "By mid April, we used to get 10 to 15 calls daily and to attend them alone was not possible. So, we used to hire people and get the work done. But due to the lockdown, I am home and have no earnings. The customers don't want AC to run now due to fear of the virus spread."

While another mechanic Nawab, who deals with repairing of the coolers, laments that these days finding work was tough. He said, "Work will come only after the cooler market starts once the lockdown is lifted. And, this time even the weather has also not changed much and its still not that hot."

Another mechanic said that people were afraid to let the electricians in there homes and the customers were themselves doing minor things on their own.

A day ahead of the lockdown's slated end, the government has permitted over 15 types of industries to start their work with minimum manpower and distancing norms on a single shift basis.

These include those involved in manufacturing of heavy electrical items like transformers and circuit vehicles, telecom equipment and components including optic fiber cable, compressor and condenser units, steel and ferrous alloy mills, spinning and ginning mills, power looms, and defence and defence ancillary units.

But presently, the unorganised sector workers like Hasan and Nawab are facing problems as they are out of work and do not fit in any government scheme. The workers like them want the government to give them also a window to work.

Source: IANS