4 days Ago By Joy Sengupta
Pune: The assembly election has turned out to be a bonanza for some autorickshaw drivers in the city. Those lucky to be roped in for election work said that they are making almost twice the amount of money they earn on a single day, that too, by working for a few hours. "I am being paid Rs 2,000 daily, apart from free lunch.
I used to make this kind of money before the pandemic. Nowadays, I hardly earn Rs 1,000 daily, even after toiling from early morning till late at night," said Govind Kunte, an autorickshaw driver who campaigns for a contestant in the Hadapsar assembly constituency. Mohammad Rafiq Shaikh, another autorickshaw driver who lives in Kondhwa, said, "I am being paid Rs 1,300 just to move around in different localities from 7 am till 6 pm.
While I can earn money on regular days, the work hours are longer. However, I realise that this is just a temporary arrangement and very soon I will have to toil hard again," he said. Autorickshaws criss-crossing the streets with blaring loudspeakers might be considered a nuisance by some, but for auto drivers engaged by political parties, the opportunity, even if temporary, is a godsend, offering some financial relief.
Earnings of drivers of more than 1.70 lakh autorickshaws registered in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad plummeted significantly after the pandemic, forcing many of them to sell their vehicles or look for other sources of income. Nitin Pawar, the general secretary of Rickshaw Panchayat, the largest autorickshaw union in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, said, "More than 1,800-2,000 autorickshaws have been roped in by contestants in both the cities.
As the campaign gets intense, the numbers could increase." "Auto drivers are using all kinds of contacts and connections to be a part of the political campaign. Some auto drivers know the contestants or any junior leaders and are approaching them for the same.
Presently, the average income of a driver, even if one works from morning till late at night is hardly around Rs 1,000. At times, many don't get adequate trips for the whole day and income just dips. Anybody would jump at the opportunity if they are offered decent money just to move around 4-5 localities for a limited number of hours," said Keshav Kshirsagar, the president of Baghtoy Rickshawaala union.
"There are many like me who are involved in the election campaign. I am being paid Rs 2,000 just to move around in a few areas, apart from food. On regular days, I earn anything between Rs 800 and Rs 1400.
I plan to save at least Rs 5,000 and buy a bicycle for my 8-year-old son," said an autorickshaw driver, who has been roped in to be a part of the poll campaign in Kalyaninagar. "We are doing a good service by going to different areas and creating awareness about elections. I am making Rs 2,000 per day, which is satisfactory," said Kondhwa-based auto driver Rafiq Pathan.
A representative of a contestant at Shivajinagar told TOI that they are being approached by many auto drivers to be a part of the campaign. "We are being approached by drivers of small transport vehicles. We cannot oblige all of them but try to apportion the work so that a lot many drivers are able to earn a little more than they normally make on an average," he said.
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