Migrant worker pulls pregnant wife, child on a cart for 700 km

Due to the lockdown, migrant workers have lost their source of income and are struggling to survive in the urban areas. This has forced them to leave for their hometowns. But since there is no transport available, most of them have resorted to walking hundreds of kilometres on feet. In what is a heart-breaking incident, a migrant worker was seen dragging a makeshift cart, carrying his 8-month pregnant wife and a child. The video of the young man dragging the cart soon got viral all over social media.

बालाघाट का एक #मजदूर जो कि हैदराबाद में नौकरी करता था 800 किलोमीटर दूर से एक हाथ से बनी लकड़ी की गाड़ी में बैठा कर अपनी 8 माह की गर्भवती पत्नी के साथ अपनी 2 साल की बेटी को लेकर गाड़ी खींचता हुआ बालाघाट पहुंच गया @ndtvindia @ndtv #modispeech #selfreliant #Covid_19 pic.twitter.com/0mGvMmsWul

— Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary) May 13, 2020

From Hyderabad to Balaghat

The young man is Ramu, a migrant worker from Madhya Pradesh. Failing to survive in the urban area, Ramu had to leave for his hometown in Balaghat. But since there was no bus or truck available for him to go to his hometown, he decided to cover the long journey on foot.

Also Read: At the centre of India’s migrant crisis are mothers & young children, hungry and desperate to reach home

The man made a makeshift cart out of wood and stick from the jungle on the way and pulled his pregnant wife and a 2-year old daughter on the cart. "I first tried to carry my daughter and walk. But it was difficult to walk the entire distance on foot with my pregnant wife. So, I built a makeshift cart with wood and sticks I found in the jungles on the way and then pulled the cart all the way to Balaghat" Ramu told NDTV.

On Tuesday, as the man reached his native district through Maharashtra, a police team led by sub-divisonal officer Nitesh Bhargava, provided them with food and biscuits. They also gave a pair of new slippers for the child.

Subsequently, the police team got the family undergo medical check-up before entering the district. They also arranged a vehicle for the migrant workers to their village in Balaghat, where they will be under self-quarantine for 14 days. This is a standard procedure followed by the administration to ensure that they do not spread the virus in case they are infected.

Also Read: Bengaluru: A Dentist Helps Migrant Worker Deliver Baby

Ayushi Aggarwal is an intern at SheThePeople.TV