Spent 40 Days In Truck, Missed My Pregnant Wife; Stranded Driver Shares Tale

NEW DELHI: A sudden nationwide lockdown announced to contain the spread of coronavirus just in the span of four hours resulted in many citizens left stranded across India as well the world. One such person who lived to tell his tale is a truck driver from Uttarakhand who spent more than 40 days in his vehicle near the Rajasthan border due to the lockdown which has been extended till May 17.

Sunil Kumar, resident of Munch area, reached his home district Champawat on Saturday after 47 days. The administration put him under home quarantine for 14 days. He works for a transport company based in Delhi for the last six years.

He said he left for Delhi from Hyderabad on March 22. He got stranded in Shahpura area near Delhi-Rajasthan border on March 23.

“Rajasthan Police didn’t allow me to proceed and Delhi Police didn’t allow me to go back. So I had nowhere to go. So I decided to wait in the truck itself. We keep a stove and ration for a few days in our truck. I cooked food in the truck and later bought food items from a grocery shop nearby,” he was quoted saying by a daily.

Narrating his ordeal, he said that the difference of day and night didn’t seem to matter anymore.

He said that he was hopeful that the lockdown would end on April 24 and he could go back home or in Hyderabad. He longed to go back his family and especially missed his pregnant wife. But, the lockdown extended, and with that his difficulties.

“Weird thoughts would cross my mind. I missed my family, especially my pregnant wife. There were times when I thought if I would someday reach my home or not,” he recounted to the daily.

His phone's charge also would end which meant no communication with his family in such distressing times.

“Somehow I managed to spend 40 days and 40 nights in my truck. It was a very difficult time," he said.

Finally, when the lockdown was relaxed and commercial vehicles like trucks were allowed to ply on May 3, Kumar said that he left for Delhi and reached there on May 5. Later, he boarded a bus to Uttarakhand and finally reached Champawat on the morning of May 9.

Authorities collected his COVID-19 samples which came out negative and he was sent for home quarantine for 14 days.

He said that he will leave for Delhi, his workplace, only after their child is born.

"Sometimes in the sleep, I still feel I am in the truck,” he said.

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