West Bengal: Amid the heat gripping north India, hand-held rickshaw pullers in Kolkata have to bear the brunt of low passenger turnout as well as the intense heat while engaging in hard physical labour.
While the number of hand-held rickshaws has come down in recent days, this iconic mode of transport, often criticised for being inhuman and reminiscent of colonial slavery, is still operating in certain pockets of north Kolkata like Bara Bazar, College Square and Maniktala.
Rickshaw pullers are not only working under intense heat but at times have to wait for hours on the road as there are less passengers in this intense heat. The rickshaw pullers say that passengers usually prefer to stay indoors in the summer months.
One of the rickshaw pullers, Dinesh Singh, who hails from Bihar said that he has no option and needs to make a living despite old age.
"We face a lot of problems. I am old, the temperature is soaring and my children do not support me. What to do? I need to make a living,"
When asked about his earnings in the summer months, Singh said that he has earned only Rs 150 till noon and out of that he spent a significant portion of it for lunch.
"I have only earned Rs 150 till now. I had lunch for Rs 50-60. I am from Bihar," he said adding that earnings depend on his fate and usually it sums up to Rs 200-300 per day.
Speaking about the heatwave in the city, Singh said, "I have no option except to wait for passengers. Sometimes after waiting for an hour I get one passenger. It all depends on destiny."
Another rickshaw puller, Pargas Yadav said that the government does not provide any benefit to them and they are left at the mercy of the mood of the passengers. (with Agency inputs)
