City Transport Rickshaw-Pullers Of Hyderabad Of all the various ways of earning a living, rickshaw.pulling involves "the great est amount of sweat and tears and the least amount of pecuniary benefits". This is the finding of survey recently conducted in Hyderabad into the conditions under which rickshawallas live and work. The survey finds that in most Asian countries man still remains a beast of burden in spite of pretensions of tremendous scientific and technological strides having been made. When it comes to inexpensive mode of transport, China, India and other Asian countries forget all their "garibi hatao" slogans and resort to the ubiquitous rickshaw. The fact remains it says, that while the rickshaw is an unusually uncomfortable transport, it reigns supreme in the lanes and by-lanes of Indian cities. According to the survey, reported in the latest issue of Osmania courier the rickshaw-puller works around 10 hours daily. Under most ardous conditions. His reward average daily earnings of under Rs. 5 of this, he pays between Rs. 1.50 and Rs. 2.50 as rent to the owner of his vehicle. These owners usually have a fleet of rickshaws ranging from five to 50 or more. Why do so many people take to rickshaw pulling? Because it is the simplest means "to fill their own and their depen dents' hungry mouths," the survey says. Where do the rickshawallas live? Their homes range from miserable hovels or mudhute to one-room tenements whose rents range from Rs. five to 20 per month. For many the shelter is the rickshaw itself, parked under arcades, trees or just on the pavement. While the canopy shelters the rickshaw-puller from the sun. It is rain and cold that prove most hazardous to him. His food is spartan-the usual diet is rice jawar, chilli chutney and dal. Meat a luxury which seldom comes his way. Shabby, dirty and trattered shirts shorts, jungis, dhoties, kurtas or pyjamas for his apology for clothes. Those who own two sets of these-bought off the pavement or second-hand-are in luxury. The long and tiring work takes its toll. Of the 100 rickshawallas interviewed in Hyderabad alone. all without exception complained of some illness or the other at least thrice a month. Chest pain was equally universal. Fortytwo per cent of the interviewed complained of backache and kidney troubles, 65 per cent of leg pain and 20 per cent of stomach aches. Only 32 per cent of them to a hospital or dispensary, 45 per cent rested at home and 23 per cent resorted to aspirins. The majority of rickshawallas are young, below 40. Many of them feel there is undue persecution and harassment by the police. "They extort money from us for petty offences. We pay because we have a stomach to fill and a family to support said Mohd. Jehangir from King Kothi in Hyderabad. Finacially, most rickshawallas are in the red, twentyeight per cent of them took loans from money-lenders at exhorbitant rates of interest, at times as high as 20 per cent per month. of the opinion that the Government is Eighty per cent of the rickshawallas are hardly doing anything to ameliorate their miserable condition. The rickshawallas find little time for entertainment or relaxation. Only 20 per cent read in newspapers vernacular languages. Their social pastimes are usually games of chance cards, dice, satta, matka or cotton market. Sometimes, 'supremacy' is established by conducting races for rickshaws, in which fleet owners participate. Odds run as high as 20 to one. The winner of this gruelling race is crowned "the king of the roads." Road Safety Symposium On Bombay Pedestrian Safety Skywalks, pedestrian precincts, vehicle platforms on stilts and under passes were some of the methods suggested to protect the "poor" and much-harassed Bombay pedestrian in his unequal battle with speeding vehicles in an age of widening roads but narrowing footpaths, at a symposium on "Pedestrian Safety" organised by the BEST Undertaking on April 1. Mr. Kisan Mehta, who was until March 31 Chairman of BEST committee, inaugurating the symposium, suggested the building of pedestrian precincts in selected spots in south Bombay and ban vehicles on the roads in such precincts. plat forms for hawkers at a level different from road, sub-way, sky-walk, or fly over. He also suggested that certain roads like Medows Street be kept for the use of pedest rians only and the Dalal Street and Hamam Street be reserved for the parking of vehicles. Mr. M. C. Bhansali, an architect and consulting engineer, suggested building of a "vehicle terrace" or sub-cellar vehicle platform on stilts about 3 metres above road level, at Churchgate. Dr. Jal F. Bulsara, honorary Director, Bombay Civic Trust said de-congestion was the only lasting solution to the problem of over-crowding and to ensure pedestrian safety. The lot of pedestrians was becoming increasingly difficult. Every citizen was a pedestrian some time or the other. Walking Mr. V. K. Chavan, engineer-in-chief on pavements had become well-nigh impose (civil) suggested the construction of a sible owing to the hawker obstruction, digging and the nuisance of beggars and lepers. The pedestrians were reluctant to climb foot overbridges. Mr. S. G. Pradhan, Commissioner of Police, Greater Bombay said pedestrians were highly vulnerable to injuries. The gruesome toll on Bombay's roads did not abate despite pedestrian railings and automatic traffic lights system. The present footpaths were ridiculously inadequate for the high density of pedestrians. Bad town planning, ribbon development and greed had caused chaotic conditions where building came up on the very roadside in congested areas. If the new Bombay scheme failed, the authorities would have to consider seriously a ban on influx of people into Bombay except for legitimate purposes. Mr. Pradhan said an effective way to combat jay-walking would be to empower policemen to issue tickets to erring pedest rians similar to those given to offending motorists, and fine them. Mr. Charles Correa, a city architect, suggested the construction of special raised Rs. 1.8 crore "sky-walk" over the Marine Mr. K. S. Keswani, Deputy Director of Town Planning (Traffic and Transportation), Bombay, suggested the dispersal of work centres to reduce volume of pedestrian traffic on arterial roads. Mr. S. P. Mardolkar of the BEST wanted the authorities to shift their attention to pedestrians instead of concentrating on satisfying the needs of vehicle owners. Mr. R. L. Nene, structural engineer, criticised the authorities for not giving due consideration to the segregation of pedest rian traffics when new roads were planned and existing roads widened. Most new roads had no footpaths, he said. Mr. M. S. Nerurkar, a traffic consultant, Mr. S. M. Parulkar, executive engineer (traffic and coordination), Bombay Munici pal Corporation, Mr. N. Balkrishna, hono rary secretary, Indian Institute of Road There were 74 registered accidents in 1970 per 1,000 vehicles as against 80 in 1969. During the same period, the number of Motor vehicles increased by 12.5 per cent. The highest accident rate of 130 per 1,000 vehicles was registered by Maharash tra in 1970. The lowest accident rate of 16 per 1,000 vehicles was recorded by Nagaland. But in 1970 there was an increase in the casualty rate although the accident rate declined. For every 100 accidents reported there were 72 casualties of whom 11 were fatal. The comparative figure in 1969 was 53 casualties, including eight killed. The study made by the Transport Research Division shows that the major factor for accidents was failure on the part of the drivers of vehicles. The report also reveals that Delhi had the highest number of motor vehicles on road, 5,425 per 100 km. of road length, and Himachal Pradesh the lowest, 18 vehicles. Delhi's rate of accidents was 51.2 per 1000 vehicles. LIGHTING FIXTURES MANUFACTURED BY: CRAFTS-de-FLUORESCENT BOMBAY 10 PHONE: 379146 Names and addresses of Distributors Punjab M/s. Kailash Electricals, Sector 19-C, Flat Cum Shop Bldg., Chandigarh. Uttar Pradesh: Diamond Electric Co., Naka Hindola, Lucknow. Mysore State : Kamdhenu Cables & Fixtures Corporation, 133, 1st Floor, Chickpet Bangalore-2A. Himachal Pradesh: Baijnath Kapoor & Sons, Lower Bazar, Simla. |