Several marginal workers, rendered jobless at the height of farmers' strike, are now relieved upon seeing truckloads of vegetables arriving at the market
In addition to the farmers and consumers, the farmers' strike also impacted marginal workers employed at the Agricultural Market Produce Committee (APMC) market in Vashi, some of whom were rendered jobless.
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Earning around Rs 200-500 a day was not easy for them, but at the height of the strike, these workers were unemployed as the market was shut for a day and saw fewer trucks arriving. "For two days, I couldn't earn anything as there was no job to do in the mandi," said Mala (45), who hails from Karnataka and earns around Rs 500 a day for cleaning vegetables. She has been working at the market for the last nine years.
Rakesh (27), who hails from Uttar Pradesh and had come here in search of employment two years ago said, "I am paid on a day-to-day basis, and the day there isn't any work, I might have to hunt for another job where I might not earn as much."
The strike hasn't been so bad for Akash Bhas, who cleans carrots. "Prices of carrots didn't increase as much as the other vegetables. There was constant supply and there were sufficient stocks. Luckily, on the first day of the strike, trucks of carrot had arrived from other states, so the price of carrot didn't increase much, so us carrot cleaners were not affected," he said.
But there is a light at the end of this tunnel of agrarian protest. With the strike having seemingly lost steam, an increasing number of trucks are arriving at the market, making these workers breathe a sigh of relief as life returns to normal. An APMC official said that till 2 pm on Friday, 562 trucks had arrived and 646 trucks had set off from the market.
646 Trucks that left from APMC till 2 pm on Friday
562 Trucks that arrived at APMC till 2 pm on Friday
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