Are cyclerickshaws becoming outdated?

CHENNAI: Call taxis, share autos and auto rickshaws cater to the city’s need for transport, in addition to buses and local trains. Soon, the Metro Rail and, perhaps, the Mono Rail would also be added to the long list. But the erstwhile carriers, the legendary cyclerickshaws, live on as an anachronism amid the rapidly developing public transport scenario.In Purasaiwalkam, it is not uncommon to see children going to school by the rickshaws. The fare is convenient for parents and the child is picked up and dropped at the doorstep. But now, private vans have taken over this turf too, as they cover longer distances, and are much safer.Long time rickshaw puller, Ahmed, who operates in Purasaiwalkam, says, “I used to take school children every morning and evening. It used to be an assured source of income. Now I just wait outside schools in the evenings.” He says that the policemen directing traffic outside the schools are often rude to them, and sometimes even hit their rickshaws.Nandakumar, another puller operating in the same area, says, “I earn around `50 to `70 a day. I take a few passengers around, and at times they ask me to drop off loads. Right now, I’m going to sell this old mattress for a passenger. He told me I could keep whatever money came out of it.” He also said that since he knows the policemen in that area, I will not be troubled by them. But sometimes, others do have run-ins from time to time.”In Sowcarpet and Parry’s Corner, rickshaws are used to navigate through the narrow streets that are chock-a-block with pedestrian and vehicular traffic. They also pull along mountainous loads of goods from the main roads to the numerous wholesale shops in the area.Manivannan has been operating his rickshaw in Sowcarpet for past 15 years. When asked if anything has changed over the years, he says, “Nothing has changed. We cannot ask for a hike in fares because the petrol prices are already high. The money that we earn through taking passengers is very minimal. Once in a while, when we pull a load, it is a good payday.” These men pedal and slave away in the heat. Though they face many health problems such as back pain, pulled leg muscles and neck pain, they have to work hard for a living. It is a tough life, in every sense of the word. Ahmed sums it up, as he says, “None of us want the same fate for our children. Let this backbreaking occupation end with us.”