Around 3000 families of the পিয়ালি/piẏāli (Piyali) area in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal are from the economically weaker section of the society.
The people living in the village are mostly employed in the unorganized sector, mostly as daily labourers or domestic workers. The villagers seek out work mostly in nearby areas of কলকাতা/kolkātā (Kolkata) by local train journey of an hour. Since the lockdown, there has been severe dearth of opportunities in the labour markets. During the lockdown in 2020, getting continuous work has been difficult and as a result, the villagers have lost their livelihood.
We set up a community sewing room, trained individuals, and started making masks, sanitary pads, bags, and other clothing materials. When the lockdown restrictions eased in 2020, we ferried them to Kolkata.
We put some of the products for exhibition at চম্পাহাটি লোকমেলা/cômpāhāŧi lōkmælā (Chompahati Lokmela).
The second wave of COVID-19 is spreading like wildfire, and the cautionary restrictions we have adopted have temporarily halted this effort. To make situations worse, local train service plying between Piyali and Kolkata (Sealdah Station) are presently paused.
There has been no help so far from government. We are trying our best to help the affected people, however, we are running short on funds. We urge you to spread the word and contribute generously.
Prantik Sundarban Welfare Association 