‘Not allowed to ply on revamped road’: Chandni Chowk rickshaw pullers allege

Several rickshaw pullers, however, said that this is only a fraction of the total such vehicles operating in the area. With the key stretch being out of bounds for regular cycle rickshaws, many now fear losing income.

A day after chief minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated the revamped section of the Chandni Chowk market, rickshaw pullers operating in the area said that they were being prevented from plying on the stretch, claiming that only licensed rickshaw pullers with redesigned vehicles are being allowed to operate on the 1.4-kilometre stretch between Red Fort and Fatehpuri Masjid.

Cycle rickshaws on the redeveloped Chandni Chowk area, on Monday. (Amal KS/HT PHOTO)

Over a 100 refurbished cycle rickshaws, issued licences by the MCD, have been pressed into service on the revamped Chandni Chowk stretch that was inaugurated on Sunday.

Several rickshaw pullers, however, said that this is only a fraction of the total such vehicles operating in the area. With the key stretch being out of bounds for regular cycle rickshaws, many now fear losing income.

Among them is Intizar Ali (27) who was stopped by guards on Monday afternoon. “Today (Monday) morning, we were ferrying passengers as before but were asked to leave the area around the afternoon by guards... They did not permit us to ply our rickshaws, so we could not earn a penny,” said Ali.

He said that he wanted to get a revamped cycle rickshaw and the licence, but did not know how to go about it.

“The contractor from whom I rent the rickshaw only has old-style rickshaws... We are poor people. Yesterday, we did not earn anything and had to skip a meal. How will people like me survive in the city? We don’t have a roof over our heads and sleep on the rickshaw,” said Ali.

Bhim Singh (42), another rickshaw puller, said, “People here say we need to get the license from MCD, but we don’t know the process. They say we will have to shell out ₹2,000 for the new cycle rickshaw and license, which we can’t afford.”

Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) officers said that as per a Delhi high court order of 10 February 2017, only those cycle rickshaws and rickshaw pullers, who are registered or licensed, with effect from April 1, 2017, will be permitted to ply in the area.

Rajesh Verma (30), who got one of these licences, said, “We are happy with the new look of the rickshaws and hope the number of visitors in Chandni Chowk will increase further in the coming days. All of us are charging a fixed sum of ₹20 per passenger for a trip between Red Fort and Fatehpuri Masjid,” said Verma.