Imphal, June 15 : With the changing times manual labour has been replaced by mechanical labour leaving little room for the likes of rickshaw pullers who earn for their survival in and around imphal town.
The easy availability of three-wheeler auto-rickshaws providing transportation at a cheaper rate is one of the major reasons commuters avoid ordinary cycle rickshaws, mainly in Imphal town at present.
Speaking to IFP, a 40-year old rickshaw puller identified as Samurailakpam Baingou Sharma mentioned that he had been earning his livelihood since the last 15 years as a rickshaw puller.
He said the people in Imphal town chose to travel by rickshaws earlier for short distances and the public depended day and night on rickshaws and as a result the rickshaw pullers could earn enough in a day’s labour because of unlimited passengers. But this has changed suddenly in the last three years with the introduction of three wheeler deisel autos in every part of the state providing comfortable services in less time.
Mention may be made that many musteroll and work charge employees of government departments due to irregular salaries are supplementing their earning by pulling rickshaws.
There is record of 30,000 rickshaws giving their services in the state and out of this around 12,000 rickshaw pullers are toiling in Imphal town.
In fact, the ever increasing rickshaw population in Greater Imphal is also already causing traffic jams in city streets every day. The efforts of the All Manipur Rickshaw Drivers and Pullers Association to streamline the services of rickshaws in Greater Imphal has solved the problem to some extent but it is not enough.
The common public, mainly in Imphal town, are concerned over the unlimited issuance of rickshaw licences to the pullers by the Imphal Municipal Council creating unwanted traffic jams. The Imphal municipality has already issued registration numbers to 7,227 rickshaw till today, which the higher authorities need to check, the common public feel.
Rickshaws on the receiving end of changing times in Manipur
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