Swollen Ganga leaves boatmen jobless for last one month
VARANASI : Boatmen, who eke out a living by ferrying goods and passengers across the Ganga, have been jobless for over a month as the operation of boats is suspended due to a swollen Ganga. Even though the Ganga is receding in Varanasi, resumption of boat operations may take another week as Ganga level is above the danger mark.
According to the central water commission, the Ganga was flowing at 70.46 metres in Varanasi, which is 20 centimetres above the warning level, which is constant.
Amarjit Sahani, who operates a boat from Man Mandir Ghat, said, “I have been jobless for over the past one month and haven’t earned even a single paisa. Our boats are anchored at the ghats. It will take around a week more to resume boat operations.”
He said that there are two types of boatmen. One: the boatmen who own many boats. These boatmen rarely operate the boat themselves and hire boatmen on a daily basis to ply their boats. In turn, they pay the hired boatman Rs 300 or Rs 400 daily. Two: the boatmen who ply the boats for daily income. The condition of the boatmen, who operate boats on daily wage basis, is quite grim.
Amarjit said that there are over 1,200 boats in Varanasi and over 2,000 boatmen eke out a living by operating boats in the Ganga.
Rahul Sahni, another boatman, said that the boatmen are worst sufferers of the flood because they suffered a huge financial blow. “It is difficult for us.
We are eagerly waiting for the water level to go down below the warning mark so that we can operate boats again,” he said.
Anil Sahni, another boatman, said that on an average, a boatman makes an earning of Rs 300 to 400 daily by operating a boat. It is difficult for them to meet their daily expenses. With each passing day, situation is turning difficult for the boatmen.