At present, only a few, around 10 cycle rickshaws, could be spotted outside the city railway station on the Cuttack Road side, which ferry passengers
manish kumar, post news network, Bhubaneswar, May 22: They are eco-friendly, cheap and are easily available outside the platform no 4 of the Bhubaneswar Railway Station during early mornings and late evenings. Many, especially those coming from other states where these are in vogue, prefer these over the auto rickshaws that currently rule the streets of most of the cities across India. These are the old good cycle rickshaws. However, this old and traditional mode of transport is now all set to be consigned to the pages of history, at least in the Temple City.
These traditional rickshaws, which are still quite popular in different parts of the country for its eco-friendly quality – you do not need an oil-fed engine to operate these, hence no resultant air and sound pollution and scope of an airy travel to nearby places at a comparatively cheaper cost is fast losing out to its motored cousins, the autos, in Bhubaneswar. At present, only a few, around 10 cycle rickshaws could be spotted outside the city railway station on the Cuttack Road side, which still ferry passengers as they used to during the good old days when there used to be many such rickshaws plying the city streets.
The owners of these rickshaws say the demand for the service has been steadily dwindling. “Earlier a lot of people used to travel in our rickshaws. Now people are driven by factors such as speed and time consumed. Most of the people these days take autos to reach their destinations. As a result, demand of auto rickshaws has gone up. Many of my friends have quit this profession, but I am still into the business as I like it,” says Debrat Mishra, a 42-year-old rickshaw puller, plying the streets for the last 10 years.
Most of these remaining few rickshaw pullers however, rely on the passengers travelling by trains. “We depend a lot on the daily passengers. There are many who do not like our ride. I think now it has become a prestige issue. They think it will bring their status down if they use our manual carts. Although we charge a lesser amount compared to the auto rickshaws that have to be booked, many still prefer those. It is very unfortunate,” says Debasis Swain, another rickshaw puller.
These cycle rickshaws now ply from the Bhubaneswar station to the nearby places like Tankapani, Rajmahal Square, Bomikhal, Satya Nagar and other adjacent areas in a radius of around five kilometres from the station. They often charge around `20 per kilometre for the ride, irrespective of whether there is one person or three persons on board.
Summer however is a killer time for them. The heat ruins their prospects of doing good business. Pradeep Patel, another rickshaw puller, said, “Working during summer days is a nightmare. Most of us now come during early mornings and late evenings, well after the sun has gone down and the heat in the air has receded. It is very tough for us to pull our carts during the hot noons and afternoons with the merciless sun beating down hard on us. We are now working in shifts only. While some take a rest at noon, many work in shops or find some other odd jobs to sustain themselves and their families.”
However, there are some passengers like Mallika Mishra, who still like the traditional ride. Mallika, studying engineering at the KIIT, hails from Ranchi. “I stay at Satya Nagar. I love to take a cycle-rickshaw ride to home whenever I come from my hometown to this city. These rickshaws are quite popular in my hometown. Moreover, they are eco-friendly and cheaper too,” Mallika said.
