Ranchi: App-based rides and cycle-rickshaws came to the rescue of numerous commuters relying on public transport, as autorickshaws and e-rickshaws went on strike starting on Tuesday. The strike was in protest against the transport department and the administration over non-issuance of route permits to ply on city roads, alleged arbitrary crackdown on vehicles, and imposition of hefty fines.
The administration has been carrying out drives against autos and e-rickshaws to improve traffic flow in the city, curb unauthorized stops and parking, and streamline vehicular movement, following directives from the high court. So far, the administration has issued permits to around 950 e-rickshaws, although about 7,000 e-rickshaws operate daily on the roads. Similarly, approximately 5,000 permits have been issued for both CNG and diesel autos, but the actual number of these vehicles on the roads is around 12,000.
Since the morning, members of the auto and e-rickshaw associations took to the streets as part of the strike. In Chiroundi, a group of protestors armed with lathis intercepted a few autos carrying passengers. The protestors forced the occupants to deboard and confiscated the vehicle keys for defying the bandh call. Throughout the day, protesters roamed various areas to ensure that e-rickshaws and autos stayed off the road.
While many commuters felt the pinch due to the strike, several opted for app-based rides and cycle-rickshaws.
“I had to pay five times the usual fare to reach Karamtoli Chowk from Chiroundi. Normally, an e-rickshaw ride for that distance costs INR 10, but I had to pay INR 50 for a cycle-rickshaw,” said playschool teacher Sandhya Singh.
Outside railway stations and bus stands, passengers were caught off guard by the strike and were forced to pay extra to use alternative modes of transport to reach their destinations. Raman Kumar, who arrived in Ranchi early in the morning from Jamshedpur, said he had to spend more on local travel than he did on the journey from Jamshedpur. “While a Jamshedpur-Ranchi bus ride cost me INR 400, I had to pay INR 550 for a car ride from Kantatoli to Kokar, which is barely a 3km distance,” he said.
Interestingly, while many auto drivers participated in the strike by keeping their autos off the road, some decided to use their cycle-rickshaws to ferry people and rake in good moolah. “Bandh means loss to my daily earning. So, I chose to ferry passengers in my cycle-rickshaw which was lying idle at my home,” said an auto driver on condition of anonymity.
Sanjeev Kumar, the secretary of regional transport authority (RTA), Ranchi, said, “A meeting with the agitating auto and e-rickshaw drivers were held under the chairmanship of the South Chotanagpur commissioner (Ranchi) today. We heard their grievances and issued certain time-bound directives to officials. They will have to take a call to end the strike.”
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