Rawalpindi [Pakistan], October 4 : The number of labourers and daily-wage workers spending nights on pavements, roadsides and beneath public infrastructure in Rawalpindi has reportedly increased amid rising inflation, worsening poverty and declining purchasing power, highlighting the growing hardships faced by low-income workers, as reported by The Express Tribune.
According to The Express Tribune, many workers now seek shelter beneath the Metrobus track and under shop awnings, particularly during rainy nights and the early morning hours. With little money left after meeting basic needs, renting even inexpensive accommodation has become difficult for many of them.
A growing number of workers can be seen along Murree Road between Mareer Chowk and Faizabad, including Chandni Chowk, Rehmanabad and Liaquat Bagh Chowk. Some also sleep on benches inside Liaquat Bagh. Similar conditions have been reported around General Bus Stand Pirwadhai, the lawns of the three allied hospitals, Ganjmandi Bazaar, Jamia Masjid Road, Banni Chowk, Iqbal Road, Moti Bazaar, Bohar Bazaar, Narnkari Bazaar, Hamilton Road, Tyre Bazaar, Naya Mohalla and several other commercial areas.
Most of these labourers have reportedly travelled from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and remote parts of Punjab in search of employment.
During the day, they earn through loading and unloading goods, working with transporters and performing other daily-wage jobs. At night, they sleep on pavements, roadside platforms, carts and, in some cases, parked vehicles.
Several charitable hotel owners provide free meals at designated points in Raja Bazaar, Jamia Masjid Road and Bara Bazaar, as cited by The Express Tribune.
Workers often arrive well before mealtimes and wait in queues. Poor women accompanied by children also reportedly visit these locations for free food.
Workers sleeping beneath the Metrobus track said they generally earn between PKR 700 and PKR 1,000 a day, although their income can fall further on difficult days. Occasionally, they manage to earn around PKR 1,500, as reported by The Express Tribune.