Street food vendors of Jamshedpur, some of whom had taken small loans to buy pushcarts and other essentials, are facing the brunt of the situation ever since the state government announced a lockdown last month in view of a spike in Covid cases across Jharkhand.

Though the lockdown is enforced from 3 pm to 6 am, the vendors are not operating due to a dip in the number of customers -- most of whom fear having food outside.

On top of this, most of the over 400 street food vendors in the city don’t have ration cards and are not able to afford food grains from the open market. Moreover, they have to meet the medical and other expenses of their families in difficult times when income is nil.

The vendors in Bistupur, Sakchi, Kadma, Sonari, Burmamines and other places are facing hardship owing to the situation. Most are finding it hard to maintain their families.

They fear that the lockdown would be extended and their problems would continue.

“I am facing a lot of problems due to the lockdown. I am not operating ever since the lockdown was enforced last month. I had taken a loan to buy a pushcart and other related items. I don’t even have a ration card to buy food grains at a subsidised rate,” said Mohan Singh, a fast-food seller in Bistupur, who used to earn between Rs 15,000 to 20,000 a month earlier.

.“I have already faced financial issues during the lockdown last year and was trying to somehow overcome the loss till the lockdown was enforced again last month. Very few people prefer to eat outside in the present scenario and there is no reason to continue in this situation,” said Bibhuti Prasad, a chaat seller in Sakchi. Earlier, he used to make around Rs 12,000 a month.

Jitender Das, another vendor, said the state government should pay attention to their plight. “The state government should at least provide us financial assistance to overcome the crisis. The lockdown has dealt a heavy blow to us,” Das, who runs a snacks stall in Burmamines said, adding he earned over Rs 20,000 per month earlier.

The problem for these vendors gets worse as, unlike restaurants, they are not integrated with online food delivery systems.