With people staying put at home, rickshaw pullers in Noida struggle to make ends meet

With most people staying home in light of the lockdown imposed to halt the spread of the coronavirus disease, rickshaw pullers in the city are struggling to earn

With most people staying home in light of the lockdown imposed to halt the spread of the coronavirus disease, rickshaw pullers in the city are struggling to earn a living and make ends meet.

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“Earlier people used to get down from metro stations and take rickshaws to reach their home and offices. As the Metro is shut, there are no commuters and there is no work for us,” said Rajinder Kumar, a rickshaw puller.

Kumar is from Katihar, Bihar, and lives in a rented accommodation in Sector 17. He said his wife and four children are back at home and it is becoming increasingly difficult to send money to them. “I came to Noida ten years ago in search of work and started pulling the rickshaw. Before the lockdown, I used to earn Rs 200-300 per day and it was sufficient for my family. Now, it is difficult to even earn Rs 50 per day,” said Kumar.

Kumar was one among the four rickshaw pullers taking a nap on their rickshaws after an endless wait for passengers near Botanical Garden Metro station on Saturday afternoon.

Naresh (single name), another rickshaw puller, said the lockdown has left many like him completely jobless. “Noida has been a happening city, and a number of people commute for work and other purposes. I used to earn Rs 500 per day in normal days. But the outbreak of Covid-19 has forced people inside their home, and we have been rendered jobless,” said Naresh who had come to Noida from Munger in Bihar five years ago.

Even though rickshaws are banned for plying amid the lockdown, rickshaw pullers said that they have no other option than to take the rickshaw out on the road and ferry whatever few commuters they might get in order to survive. Lakhan Singh, a rickshaw puller, said that he usually stays out near Botanical Garden Metro station search of commuters. “Sometimes shuttle buses come to drop medical staff outside the station. The nurses hire rickshaws to reach home. A few commuters also ask us to take them to hospital,” he said.

Rajesh S, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Noida said, “All modes of public transport are not allowed to ply on the roads during the lockdown and this rule applies on rickshaws too. However, we are letting rickshaws ferry people engaged in essential services or those in an emergency.”

Many rickshaw pullers are concerned about their savings drying up amid the lockdown, and are worried about being left absolutely penniless if the lockdown is extended again. “ The administration is running some community kitchens, but usually is a long queue at these kitchens and it becomes difficult to have a meal there. We have some savings and we are using them for food for now. If the lockdown continues, it will be difficult for us to survive,” said Singh.

Most rickshaw pullers are from states such as Bihar and Jharkhand and are anxious about getting home. Singh said the lockdown was announced suddenly, and he did not get time to return to return to his village. “I do not know when things will be normal, and I just want to go home. I am ready to even pull the rickshaw all they way from Noida to Bihar. But the police have put barricades and blocked all movement,” he said. “ If we manage to get some work back home, we will not return to Noida,” added Singh.

“The police teams ask commuters to produce valid passes and if they do not have one they are asked to go back. The lockdown guideline is strictly enforced in the district,” he said.