Madurai
For the last two months G. Sivakumar, an autorickshaw driver from Naganakulam, wakes up at 3 a.m. and heads towards the Central Vegetable market at Mattuthavani.
By 6.30 a.m., he starts selling vegetables at P and T Nagar, Kannanendhal, Aathikulam and nearby areas through his autorickshaw.
“Due to restrictions imposed in the movement of the public during the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown, I hardly get any customers nowadays. Hence, I additionally started selling vegetables to earn a decent income to feed my family,” he says.
Like Mr. Sivakumar some autorickshaw drivers across Madurai city have taken up odd jobs as a means of additional income to make their ends meet.
They say that with the closure of schools, colleges, bus stands, railway stations, tourist spots, the public movement has drastically reduced. As a result they have very few customers and earn a meagre income.
C. Prabhakar, an autorickshaw driver who is the sole breadwinner of his family, was working as a salesman for a few days. However, he discontinued that as well, as it was not very remunerative.
R. Marimuthu, another autorickshaw driver, has set up a fruit stall along with his wife. Earlier, he even worked as a loadman at the Central Vegetable market in Mattuthavani.
Similarly, other autorickshaw drivers have taken up odds jobs- S. Murugan now works as a security guard and K. Pandi works as a helper to an electrician.
Autorickshaw drivers who have rented their vehicles have suffered the most, says Mr. Sivakumar. “With the meagre income we earn from riding autorickshaws, it is difficult to pay rent for the vehicle. The rising fuel cost adds to our burden,” he says.
Concurring with this viewpoint, M.Nanda Singh, District General Secretary of Madurai Mavatta AITUC Auto Thozhilalar Sangam, says that the most daunting problem of autorickshaw drivers is the huge amount of money they have borrowed from moneylenders.
An official from Regional Transport Office (RTOs) says that there are around 15,000 autorickshaws registered in Madurai.
In addition, there are around 5,000 autorickshaws that are unregistered, says Mr. Singh.
“Some of these workers have now started taking up jobs as vegetable or fruit vendors, construction workers, loadmen as they earn a pittance from riding autorickshaws,” he says.
He also adds that the government must provide additional assistance of ₹ 7,500 per month for three months to all the drivers registered with the RTO.