Mumbai: Hit hard by the Covid-19 lockdown and the resultant work-from-home culture, the famous dabbawalas of Mumbai are planning to approach the Maharashtra government for help.
Speaking to ThePrint, the Mumbai Dabbawala Association, a body representing the tiffin carriers, said it wants local train services to be resumed at the earliest, or a monthly subsistence of Rs 3,000 for each of the dabbawalas.
With government, semi-government and private offices functioning again at limited capacity in light of Unlock, the dabbawalas are once again getting a few orders, but they are unable to service clients in the absence of access to Mumbai’s suburban trains, the association has said.
“Dabbawalas have been out of work for five months now. Those stepping out for work are contacting us for our services, but how will we deliver these tiffins if the trains are not functional?” association president Subhash Talekar told ThePrint.
“Bus services are not as efficient and our dabbawalas can’t travel distances as long as Borivali to Churchgate (approximately 40 km) on a bicycle carrying tiffins.”
After over two months of a complete lockdown meant to check the Covid-19 pandemic, the Maharashtra administration allowed government, semi-government and private offices to start functioning partially from 5 June. While government and semi-government offices are functioning with a maximum permissible capacity of 15 per cent, private offices have been allowed to function with a maximum employee strength of 10 per cent on the premises.
The Central and Western railways resumed select local train services in Mumbai from 15 June. However, only employees associated with essential services are allowed to board these trains.
If the state government cannot start all train services, Talekar said, it should at least consider Mumbai’s dabbawalas as part of essential services and allow them to board the local trains that are already functional.
Like the dabbawalas, several groups such as bank employees and retail traders have also requested the state government to allow them to use local trains.
“If either of these things is not possible, then we should simply be given an allowance of Rs 3,000 a month. For how long will the dabbawalas sit at home without work?” Talekar added.
Mumbai is a Covid-19 hotspot, having recorded a total of 1,42,099 cases as of Friday evening. Of these, 19,401 are currently active.
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‘Only 20 per cent of dabbawalas left in Mumbai’
Mumbai dabbawalas run a lunchbox delivery and return system from people’s homes to their offices. Dressed in a white outfit and a Gandhi cap, they have won accolades for their efficiency from across the world, and Mumbai’s busy and robust suburban train service has been the backbone of their service.
Before the lockdown, Talekar said, Mumbai had about 4,500 dabbawalas who would deliver 2 lakh tiffins across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai every day. The lockdown, which compelled most of the city’s service sector to work from home, rendered the dabbawalas jobless, he added.
“Most of us have gone back to our villages. Only about 20 per cent are left in Mumbai, sustaining themselves with odd jobs such as driving autorickshaws and gardening for big societies,” Talekar said.
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