Hand-pulled Rickshaws of Kolkata

The hand-pulled rickshaw, like tea, trams, cricket, and Gothic architecture, is a preserved heritage in Kolkata's colonial treasure. In contrast to the city's modern infrastructure with skyscrapers and flyovers, Kolkata's identity is defined by lightweight, wooden rickshaws drawn by thin men draped in lungis, making their way through flooded lanes and congested marketplaces. In today's society, urban transportation and urban sustainability are key challenges in contrast to its identity.

Every big city in the world is trying to be more sustainable. Over time, the population increases and the demand for public transport increases as well, leading to the increment of automotive vehicles in the city of Kolkata, which negatively affects transport externalities. Kolkata is facing the rapid growth of motor vehicles. The growth of road transportation raises the temperature in Kolkata city, increases pollution levels, creates congestion in the streets, etc. Non-motorized transport contributes significantly to the reduction of air pollution by offering an attractive alternative to the highly polluted motorized transport system. Non-motorized transport is cheaper, cleaner, and more flexible. It employs unskilled workers and is labor-intensive in terms of vehicle operation, production and maintenance. Energy-consuming and "efficient" mechanical transmission must be very expensive and capital intensive for the poor. Shifting from non-motorized to motorized vehicles will result in destroying the employability of the poor and reducing their mobility. Walking or cycling has come down to a dangerous mode of transport used by the poor and the construction of new roads to cater to the growing traffic is dividing the built environment and has brutally affected the society. Despite all the obvious advantages of non-motorized vehicles it is increasingly threatened in developing countries. This is usually justified by arguments that slow, non-motorized vehicles interfere with the speed of cars, buses, and trucks, causing traffic, and are also a bad image for cities wishing to attract foreign investment thus they are making efforts to even eradicate non-motorized vehicles which are the most favorable and sustainable option for the growing cities.

Transport and the Environment in Kolkata

Kolkata summarizes the 'metropolitan' nature of the transport problem a developing country faces. It is a city of 14 million people living in high density (more than 10,000 people per square kilometer on average, and more than 23,000 per square kilometer in Central Kolkata) suffering from serious infrastructure problems. Housing, water supply, and sanitation are of poor quality: more than 3 million people live in slums or sidewalks. Kolkata has a population of over 600,000 motor vehicles, with a low but rapidly growing level of car ownership (at least 20% per year) operating in conditions that are likely to maximize air pollution. Low-quality fuels are used, mostly ethylated and often counterfeit. Cars are poorly maintained (most emit black smoke), and there is widespread official "approval" of vehicle pollution violations (including pollution compliance certificates readily available without inspections). Traffic congestion is severe and there is no traffic management system like bus lanes. The air quality is as bad as anywhere in the world. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) contamination (mainly from diesel engines and rickshaws) often exceeds 1000 / g / m3, while the WHO standard, which should not be exceeded, is 70 ug / m3. In the UK, a limit of 50 ug/m3 (24-hour moving average) is recommended as a level not to be exceeded. Transport remains the main source of harmful air pollution and is gaining importance over time. Road accidents due to high traffic is another major concern. They are endangering the lives of citizens. Congestion levels are not as bad as in Bangkok but traveling to and from the center of the city (BBD Bag) or to and around Burrabazar, New Market, Howrah, and Sealdah stations will cause significant delays. The planning and management of urban transport in Kolkata have suffered the most tragic failures. The failures are exacerbated by importing inappropriate transport strategies from developed countries like Europe or Japan which don't fit with the planning of the city of Kolkata. It is to receive six new flyovers from Japanese overseas aid in a plan that is extremely flawed and weakly substantiated that it would not pass any test of appropriateness or environmental assessment.

Rickshaws in Kolkata 

One of the many faults in transport policy and sustainable development is related to the importance of non-motorized transport in general and, in Kolkata in particular, the unvalued heritage of rickshaw pullers. Kolkata’s manual rickshaws or hand-pulling rickshaws are pollution-free, provide citizens with much-needed work and help the families of millions of people in Kolkata and the hometown of these migrant workers. It provides an affordable, reliable, and easy-to-use mode of transportation in a city where buses are extremely dirty, overcrowded, and dangerous, and cars and taxis are inaccessible to the majority of the population due to high fare charges. Rickshaws drive customers at any time of the day or night, operate during the worst of the monsoons and through the most waterlogged streets, transporting children to and from schools in a city where personal attention and reliability are greatly valued. Any rickshaw ride is a ride that is not running on fuel and is absolutely pollution free unlike other modes of transport. Every rickshaw journey provides employment opportunities that are otherwise simply non-existent. Kolkata is the last city with hand-drawn rickshaws and operates only in the center of Greater Kolkata under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Corporation, with an absence of cycle rickshaws. The latter is found in the rest of Greater Calcutta. The total number of rickshaws operating in Kolkata is unknown which signifies the condition of their existence.

The Rickshaw and Poverty in Kolkata

To work as a rickshaw puller or driver, no education or special training is required. Pullers/drivers who are disadvantaged people in the labor market are needed by an industrial group that owns rickshaws. This is especially true for hand-pulled rickshaws, as some cycle rickshaws are operated by their owners. Almost all rickshaw drivers have abandoned their families at home and spent months or years in Kolkata looking for work, relying heavily on the cash from pulling rickshaws. The removal of hand-pulled rickshaws from the city would have an immediate and devastating impact on the well-being of hundreds of thousands of individuals who are already living on the edge. Pullers/drivers’ livelihoods will be ruined as a result of their lack of education and abilities which will diminish their chances of finding replacement occupations, even if the requisite level of alternative labor is available. The decision to eliminate a sustainable method of transportation will have a negative multiplier effect on the local economy.

Redefining the Rickshaw 

Rickshaw pullers are an undervalued and underused mode of transportation. Today, motor vehicles are widely used, including extremely polluting auto-rickshaws that can be changed to rickshaws with effective traffic management and pollution control. The unreasonable distortion of traditional transportation technology is to blame for the underrepresentation of disadvantaged transportation alternatives. Rickshaws are an unwelcome reminder of the pre-modern and colonial age in Indian society, according to the demand for modernity. The labor is strenuous and underpaid, and the system is inefficient. Rather than being a welfare or efficiency regulator, the licensing system is an exploited tool. Addressing the problem of rickshaw technology, licensing and operating conditions, traffic management, and welfare are all part of redefining rickshaws to play a safer role in Kolkata’s transportation system. Addressing the problem of rickshaw technology, licensing and operating conditions, traffic management, and welfare issues are all part of redefining rickshaws to play a safer role in Kolkata’s transportation system. In India, work is currently underway to create a more efficient construction for manually drawn rickshaws, making it easier for the pullers to drive the rickshaws and allowing the passengers to ride more comfortably and safely. More regulated businesses with higher status and driver self-management can boost revenue, and they represent far more than just one mode of transportation among many. Threats to their safety should be removed, and their position in Kolkata’s broader transportation system should be expanded. Removing them off Kolkata’s streets will worsen poverty in a city that is already poverty-driven with an excessive population. Removing them from Kolkata’s streets will worsen poverty in a city where the poor population already exceeds the city’s capacity. Because of the importance of auto-rickshaws, it is necessary to eliminate problems for them and maximize their position in Kolkata’s public transportation system. Indeed, the trolley’s commitment to sustainable development and transportation compels it to take a more secure position in Kolkata’s transportation system, as well as a new role in integrated transportation planning. Because of the importance of rickshaws, it is necessary to eliminate their dangers and maximize their contribution to Kolkata’s total transportation system. Indeed, a commitment to sustainable development and transportation needs a safe position for rickshaws in Kolkata’s transportation system, as well as a new role in an integrated transportation plan.