Man lugs pregnant wife, kid 700 km home on cart

New Delhi, May 15 (PTI): A migrant labourer hailing from Madhya Pradesh embarked on a journey back home from Hyderabad on foot over two weeks back due to the lockdown, pulling his pregnant wife and a two-year-old daughter on a makeshift wooden cart, has reached his home state, an official said on Friday.

 

Their 17-day arduous journey, during which they claimed to covered a distance of over 700 kms, finally ended on Thursday after they reached Lanjhi in Balaghat district, the official said.

 

Sub Divisional Officer of Police Lanjhi, Nitesh Bhargava, said the family was spotted on the MP-Maharashtra border on Thursday, after which arrangements were made for their further journey till home.

 

Sharing their ordeal, 32-year-old Ramu Ghormore and his wife Dhanvantri Bai, said, "We worked as labourers in Hyderabad under a contractor. After the lockdown came into force, there was no work at the site. As our source of income stopped, we started facing difficulties in arranging even two meals a day."

 

"We then sought help from some people and requested them to make arrangements for our travel to the native place. However, nothing happened for a long time," they said.

 

Ghormore said, "As there was no solution in sight, we decided to start our journey on foot till our village in Lanjhi with my daughter Anuragini in my arms."

 

However, after some distance my wife was unable to walk further, he said.

 

"After that I created a handcart with the help of a bamboo and other locally-made material, including wheels and a lever made of tube to pull it," he said.

 

When they reached Rajegaon on MP-Maharashtra border, the authorities stopped them and enquired about them, where the couple shared their story.

 

Bhargava said that as per Ghormore's account, he walked over 700 kms for 17 days with his family on cart.

 

"The man had made a handcart on which his wife and daughter were sitting. He came pulling them from Hyderabad," the official said.

 

After they reached the MP border, they were provided with food.

 

"A private vehicle was arranged for them to send them back to their home in Kunde village in the district, which is about 18 km away from the border," Bhargava said.

 

A police official said that besides this family, nearly 400 other labourers also reached Rajegaon from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on foot.

 

"They were medically examined, provided food and pain-killers. They were later sent to their destinations," he said.