Mumbai/Indore: They are desperate and the lockdown has destroyed the hopes they had in eking out a living in Mumbai. Also Mumbai, turning out to be a coronavirus hotspot, is forcing them to flee. The double effect of coronavirus and lockdown has made survival impossible for them.
Fleeing in large numbers
These migrant workers (read drivers) have packed their own belongings and are fleeing Mumbai in hordes. Some of them are going to Uttar Pradesh, others to Madhya Pradesh and some more to Bihar and Jharkhand.
Union sources in Mumbai pegged the number of ‘kaali peeli’ taxis (traditional black & while taxis) leaving the metropolis at around 1,000. The number of autos leaving Mumbai stands at 500. The drivers fear that the lockdown may be extended again. So they are making a beeline for their native places. They feel they will be better off in their own villages, than they are in Mumbai. At times many of them and their families have starved for more than two days.
The National Highway No. 3 is also called the Mumbai-Agra Road. It touches Indore in Madhya Pradesh through a bypass road. It is seeing a steady stream of auto-rickshaws from the country’s commercial capital as people return to their native places. Eye-witnesses said that more than 50 auto-rickshaws per hour is passing through the Bypass Road.
Drivers’ plights
Among them is Baleshwar Yadav (54), who is going to his native village in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh. There are eight people, including two women and three children, crammed into his three-wheeler.
“I have been driving an auto-rickshaw in Mumbai for the past 12 years. But everything is closed there now. I spent two months digging into my savings but that, too, has run out. I have no choice but to return to my village,” Yadav said.
Yadav was asked whether he would return to Mumbai in the near future. “Whether it is six months or a year, I have to return. I still have to pay installments on the bank loan with which I bought this vehicle. Till the situation normalises in Mumbai, I will engage myself in agriculture and cattle rearing in my own village,” added Yadav.
Ajay Yadav (36), hails from Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh. He informed he had been driving an auto-rickshaw in Mumbai’s Goregaon area for the last four years. He left for his native village two days ago with a couple of friends.
“There was no food in Mumbai due to lack of work. We will think of returning to the city later,” Ajay said.
“Around 50 auto-rickshaws are passing through this road every hour. Most of them are from Mumbai,” claimed Rajkumar Patel. He is working as a volunteer at a dining stall set up by a social organisation on the Indore Bypass road.
Government’s false propaganda
The auto-rickshaw drivers alleged that announcement of providing food and water to the needy in the city was mere government propaganda. “Those belonging to the ruling party get all the benefits,” they said.
Others stated that they got more help on the road than they got in Mumbai.”People have helped us with food and water and sometimes even with fuel,” said Anand Pal, another auto driver. He said he is on his way to Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh. He is planning to revive is farmland in his village. “Earning from the land is better than begging in Mumbai,” Pal said.
Medical screening done
Indore DSP (Traffic) Umakant Chaudhary said auto-rickshaws were being allowed to pass only after medical screening of those inside.
“We have been seeing a sizeable number of auto-rickshaws from Mumbai on the Indore Bypass Road. Some of the drivers and passengers are returning to the native places. But there are some drivers who are charging people to transport them to other states,” official informed.
Chaudhary said CNG-fitted auto-rickshaws are being seen in long queues at fuel pumps on the Indore Bypass road. “This is because the number of pumps selling CNG on this route is less. On this route, CNG pumps open between 6.00am and 10.00pm. In view of the problems faced by auto-rickshaws, locals are demanding these pumps be kept open 24 hours,” Chaudhary said.
This is what various unions say
AL Quadros of ‘Mumbai Taximen’s Union said over 1,000 black and yellow taxis and 5,000 auto-rickshaws from Mumbai Metropolitan Region have left. He said that around 45,000 cabs and around 5 lakh auto-rickshaws operate in the region.
“Due to the lockdown for almost two months, the cabbies and auto drivers are left with no money. Instead of dying without food here, they prefer to go back to their native place,” informed Quadros.
Shashank Rao, leader of ‘Mumbai Auto Rickshawmen’s Union, explained why the drivers are taking their own vehicles.
“Buses and trucks were asking for exorbitant fares. So drivers are taking their own vehicles to travel back home. These would have anyway remained parked in Mumbai if they travelled by any other mode of transport. As it is the vehicles will be safe with the owners,” informed Rao.
“Packing their luggage, a few drivers are travelling with families. Many drivers, who have their families at their native place, are going with other drivers and friends,” Rao added.
Time and money consuming process
RTO officials said auto and taxi permit holders are allowed to travel to native places by getting online temporary permits. The passes are valid for a few months. However, most of the drivers have not availed of those. This is because it is a time and money consuming process.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has said the government has decided not to be harsh with migrant workers. It is letting them go on humanitarian ground despite the violation of lockdown norms.
Agencies