COVID-19 Lockdown Effect: Three people commit suicide in Kolkata due to financial distress
Kolkata/UNI: A young bus driver of route No 221, who had been rendered jobless due to the prolonged Covid-19 induced lockdown, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in his Dum Dum residence today, while an elderly woman and her son killed themselves by consuming poison last week, police said.
Biswajit Boral, a resident of Dum Dum Park, who had been depressed since the past few weeks after exhausting his savings was found dead in his room early this morning.
The private bus driver and bus conductors get commission on the sale of tickets and don't draw a monthly salary.
Though unlock 2 began today and lockdown restrictions are gradually phasined out according to Covid situation, the state government has asked the private bus operators to start plying buses on their respective routes.
The government even offered to pay Rs 15,000 per month to some 6,000 bus operators on the condition that they would not hike fare at this time.
However, the majority of bus operators remained off the roads and invited the government ultimatum for confiscation of vehicles if they do not start operating by July 3.
The alleged suicide of the bus conductor happened a day after a taxi driver also allegedly committed sucide for the same reason.
Last week three members of a family, a 60-year-old widow and her two sons of 40 and 45 attempted to end their lives due to acute financial distress triggered by lockdown.
The widow, a small-time trader of imitation gold ornaments and the only earning member of the family, had been grappling to make ends meet without business activity.
They were rescued by the police from their Regent Park home in south Kolkata after the younger son had phoned one of his relatives that they were going to die as they consumed poison to end poverty.
However, the widow and her younger son died in the hospital while the elder son survived the suicide attempt and returned home on Tuesday.
Image: Pixabay
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