Many elderly people in Kolkata are having to manage without their caregivers who have gone home to villages to cast their votes in the panchayat elections on Saturday.
Many households are without their cooks and help, too.
Some cloud kitchens that deliver food to households will remain closed over the weekend because of a shortage in the number of hands.
“The caregiver who stays with us 24 hours left on Thursday for her ancestral village in Mathurapur (in South 24-Parganas) to cast her vote,” said Gaurav Sen, a Tollygunge resident. Sen suffers from severe arthritis.
“My wife is not quite fit to perform the daily chores. We are a retired couple and are completely dependent on the caregiver.”
Rural polls in Bengal are known to register a high voting percentage. Many villagers who stay elsewhere to earn a living make it a point to return home to cast their votes.
Unlike for many in the city, an election is potentially a life-changing event for the rural population. Participating in an election will ensure that one does not miss out on government schemes or relief during a calamity.
In a city that has a large number of elderly people, an exodus of helping hands has a telling effect.
Many families this newspaper spoke to said they are praying that their help and caregivers do not extend the leave beyond the weekend.
“We are short of personnel till Sunday because of the panchayat polls,” said Narayan Maity of Bijoli Seba Centre in Old Ballygunge Second Lane. “There are families who are completely dependent on caregivers. Those who work on 12-hour shifts have been asked to continue round-the-clock for the next few days.”
Many families have been reluctant to take in unfamiliar stop-gap replacements.
Owners of several ayah and nurse centres said they tried replacing the existing caregivers with new ones for some of their old clients. But the families refused.
“The existing rate is Rs 400 for 12 hours. We offered discounts for the new hands, who will be working as part of a temporary arrangement. But most families have been reluctant to accept them,” said Samar Das, owner of a centre in Santoshpur.
“We are trying to manage with those who will be in the city during the elections. But they are too few, considering the demand.”
As a large number of cooks have left for their villages, many working couples have decided to leave their children with their parents till Monday. Others have decided to call their parents over to look after the grandchildren.
“Our cook stays at our home for eight hours and takes care of my daughter after she returns from school,” said Kankurgachhi resident Ratna Bhattacharya, who works at a bank. “We have decided to leave our daughter with my in-laws till Friday.”
The absence of a strong workforce has hit those who are in the business of food delivery. Many of them said staff shortage has forced them to suspend operations for a few days.
“We have a team of five delivery boys who cover parts of Mukundapur, Kasba, Anandapur and old Ballygunge. All of them have left for their homes in East Midnapore and North 24-Parganas,” said Soumya Mitra, owner of a food delivery business in Kasba.