Amal Bhowmik said he had to hit the streets since his family is going through a difficult time
Actor and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Dev has offered to help an elderly man, who has been hit hard by the coronavirus lockdown and walks several kilometres every day with the help of his crutches to sell masks and earn a living.
80-year-old Amal Bhowmik has been going from one door to another in Kolkata's Belgharia area since June, after his son's flower business slumped due to the coronavirus lockdown.
After seeing a Twitter post on this man's battle, Dev decided to reach out to him.
The Bengal star's production team then got in touch with Mr Bhowmik's family and promised financial assistance.
"Dev-da's personal assistant called me on my cell phone and promised assistance. One of his team members will be meeting us shortly to finalize how it can be done," Mr Bhowmik's son said on Thursday.
Somnath Sarkar, a CPI(M) activist, had posted a photograph of Amal Bhowmik on Twitter on July 14.
"This is Amal Bhowmik, a resident of Prafullanagar colony in Belgharia. He is fighting the odds in extremely adverse situations. I came across him while returning from night duty and got to know that despite promises, local leaders of the ruling party and the councillor did nothing to help him," Mr Sarkar had posted on the microblogging site.
"He does not get old-age pension. Please see to it if he can be helped," he said in the tweet.
Sharing his tweet, Dev said, "Hi Somnath....will be happy to help him...Thanku for the information."
Amal Bhowmik, when approached, said he was forced to hit the streets as the family was going through a difficult time to make ends meet when the pandemic broke out.
"My son is still struggling to keep his business afloat. The markets get closed from time to time. Also, he got no orders for marriages and other occasions over the past two to three months due to the COVID-19 situation. Nobody was buying flowers for funerals, too," Amal Bhowmik told PTI.
The Ghatal MP, who had earlier facilitated the return of 286 migrant workers from Nepal, said it is his job to help people who are in distress and that his act does not merit any accolades.
"I don't think I have done anything great. My job is to be by the side of people who are in distress. And this man could have been my father," he added.