Hyderabad: Thousands of dhobis in this city face a bleak future should it be extended further.
One of the effects of the lockdown has been that not many people are giving their clothes for ironing because most of them are staying at home and secondly they do not wish to take any risk.
“I used to earn anything between Rs 300 and Rs 500 every day subject to how many clothes I could iron.” said Maju, a dhobi, who stays near Netaji Nagar in Kapra. “It’s all gone now.”
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Telangana Rajaka Sangham president said Konduri Satyanarayana said, “There are close to 30,000 dhobis servicing the Greater Hyderabad region, and the lockdown is depriving them of their only source of livelihood. Many people fear that dhobis could be vectors for the disease as they go around from house to house. But I would like to clarify that even dhobis take care of their health as much as the others do. Their lives are as much precious to them.”
He placed a few demands before the state government for the welfare of dhobis. They include Aarogyasri benefits, ration to the tune of 50 kg for each family, no collection of shop rent for the next three months and Aasara pensions for dhobis aged over 50 years.
