Chennai: Farmer-rickshaw riders fight through drought

Chennai: Subramani, 72, a cycle rickshaw rider from Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu, was forced to send his family back to his hometown, due to his meager earnings.

A farmer by profession, he rides cycle rickshaws in the city when there are no rains. However, with the present state of drought, he struggles hard to make ends meet — with rickshaw pulling too bringing him no money due to the lack of passengers interested in opting for this mode of transport.

Subramani is only one among many other farmers from various districts of TN including Salem, Erode and Ariyalur, and from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka as well, who land up the city in the hope of pulling rickshaws and earning enough to make ends meet. A number of riders have agricultural lands back in their hometown. In consequence of monsoon failure, off-season, or other such problems in agriculture, they turn up here for a few months, rent a cycle rickshaw from owners in Chennai, earn money, and return to their hometown for farming,” said an official at Hackney Carriage Works, Vepery, a police department which takes care of the registration of these cycle rickshaws.

Subramani, who has been riding cycle rickshaws for the past 52 years, was a part of the era when manual-pulling rickshaws existed. “This was a profession, which in the past earned me enough to educate my daughter. Today, however, I earn a maximum of '200-300 — barely enough to cover my food expenses. Due to the drought this year, many of us are struggling. Owing to poverty, deteriorating health, and old age, I was forced to send my family back.”

As the farmers-cum-riders have realised that this mode of transport is fast dying, some have tried driving other modes of transport. However, many still find the move complicated and continue riding cycle rickshaws, making it clear that it is the only occupation known to them.

(With inputs from Aishwarya Kannan)

Rough ride for cycle rickshaws

Lack of passengers interested in opting for this mode of transport and the ill treatment meted out to riders, are among the factors responsible for the dwindling number of cycle rickshaws in the city. There are just 1,000 rickshaws operating in North Chennai and its surrounding areas.

Faced with various struggles, including meager earnings, rickshaw riders are slowly opting out of the profession, while some are forced to stay to make ends meet.

“Everyone is in a hurry nowadays, and travelling by cycle rickshaws is not the best option. To add to it, many prefer air-conditioned vehicles, said Ganesh R., an IT professional, who prefers to travel by Ola cabs. “This conventional mode of transport has been replaced by other faster modes of transport,” he added.

Stating that around 1,200 vehicles have registered for their yearly licence until now, an official at Hackney Carriage Works, Vepery, a police department, which takes care of the registration of these cycle rickshaws, said, “It not clear as to how many vehicles are plying currently, because of 2015 Chennai floods and Cyclone Vardah last year.”

“Riding cycle rickshaws is no more an occupation passed on from generation to generation (Kula Thozhil),” added the official. The discussion on operation of these vehicles is widespread even at the capital with the SC declaring that these ‘cycle rickshaws can ply in the city without facing any harassment’.

According to Chennai-based social activist ‘Traffic’ Ramasamy, “The number of cycle rickshaws under operation must increase, and by doing so, many people would use it to commute. If there is a shortage of fuel in the future, people would eventually revert to using cycle rickshaws. The rickshaw pullers ought to be treated with dignity.”