Pooja More

Pooja More, a 56-year-old housekeeping maid from Someshwarwadi, Pune, undertook a challenging journey to Durzapurr during the lockdown. With financial strategies including drawing from savings and borrowing funds, she embarked on a 15-day journey informed by neighbors. The trip was marked by insufficient nourishment, sparse water, and a lack of appropriate shelter.

Pooja and her family faced weakness and exhaustion, receiving no assistance throughout their travel. Upon arrival, they had to rely on quarantine without any health amenities.

The scarcity of satisfactory employment opportunities in their native area forced them to return to the cities for work. Pooja emphasizes the need for a clear timeline for blue-collar workers to leave cities before lockdowns to prevent such hardships in future pandemics.