I recently came across a news article which stated that Delhi court has banned Cycle Rikshaws.
I have never been able to make up my mind on this issue. I had 
taken this experience first hand myself when I had visited N.East part of India and I think Vardha in Maharashtra. I had found it very very odd to sit behind old man who was more than the age of my father carrying my weight and that of my friends and would get paid something like Rs. 10/- or something at the end.
As a consumer I felt it quite inhumane. I was quite restless the whole time I was inside the rickshaw. I couldn't stand the scene at all.
But when I talked to some people in that part of the country they said, if we stopped sitting in these, they will loose their livelihood and would die of hunger one day or something to that effect. Which was also valid.
When I see this news along with other rationale I do see the point how they would be creating a nuisance to the traffic with their speed and following the traffic rule or the lack thereof. From that point of view also I think this is needed.
Having said that I don't think that necessarily government needs to take responsibilities of folks those go jobless with a change like this. This way government's progress plans will always be pegged back. We saw the outroar by STD booth holders also when government made the STD rates cheaper. This is irrational. When rickshaws came they say Tonga-drivers had similar outroar, the six seater ban, so on and so forth. These poor rickshaw pullers have got themselves to such a state that they can't imagine their livelihoods without it. Well, what if somebody breaks his hand, wouldn't he try to find out other means of livelihood? I don't want to sound ruthless but any change will always be difficult on the ones who are the agents of the change. It is going to be specially harder if those agents are going to be those who can hardly meet their ends.
taken this experience first hand myself when I had visited N.East part of India and I think Vardha in Maharashtra. I had found it very very odd to sit behind old man who was more than the age of my father carrying my weight and that of my friends and would get paid something like Rs. 10/- or something at the end.As a consumer I felt it quite inhumane. I was quite restless the whole time I was inside the rickshaw. I couldn't stand the scene at all.
But when I talked to some people in that part of the country they said, if we stopped sitting in these, they will loose their livelihood and would die of hunger one day or something to that effect. Which was also valid.
When I see this news along with other rationale I do see the point how they would be creating a nuisance to the traffic with their speed and following the traffic rule or the lack thereof. From that point of view also I think this is needed.
Having said that I don't think that necessarily government needs to take responsibilities of folks those go jobless with a change like this. This way government's progress plans will always be pegged back. We saw the outroar by STD booth holders also when government made the STD rates cheaper. This is irrational. When rickshaws came they say Tonga-drivers had similar outroar, the six seater ban, so on and so forth. These poor rickshaw pullers have got themselves to such a state that they can't imagine their livelihoods without it. Well, what if somebody breaks his hand, wouldn't he try to find out other means of livelihood? I don't want to sound ruthless but any change will always be difficult on the ones who are the agents of the change. It is going to be specially harder if those agents are going to be those who can hardly meet their ends.
No comments:
Post a Comment