In a city that is already fighting against corruption, terrorism and potholes here comes another blockbuster..
The auto rickshaw strike hammered down hard on Monday morning. After enjoying weekend off people had already started on their daily routine on Monday morning. Word about the strike spreading only by 8.30-9.00am. Auto drivers refused you rides. They showed little or no respect to even senior citizens.Some passengers got rickshaw but were later made to get off..and yet here we are hopelessly dependent on them.I boarded train for Bandra and reached there by 8.45am. Bandra was a mess to say the least. My search for rickshaw at 10am ended in vain. Following the flock of people on the street i made my way toward bus stop.Several buses passed by but my attempts to get in were undone by millions of people pushing me. When i finally couldn't wait any longer i gathered all my courage remembering the Virar local and tackled my way through. College lectures started at 9.00am and i was in college campus at 10am with no stamina left to attend it.
It was slightly more "civilised" since people were aware of the strike and had made alternate arrangements. Some rickshaws were active but decided to charge more because of apparent risk. But think twice before yelling at them.."at your own risk to be precise"..They might go on strike again. I came to college by road. Mumbai without auto rickshaws is like a clean home without cockroaches !! :)
Wednesday also saw only few rickshaws. However by evening more autos started showing up on streets..So let me get this straight..rickshaw drivers decided to go on strike because RTO wanted to check faulty meters. Here we have whole country rally after rally, fast after fast, protesting against corruption..and now, when finally something being done this happens. Rickshaw drivers have proven time and again that they do not understand the responsibility they holds towards public. Being rejected by rickshaw drivers has become frivolous issue this days. However it is this very attitude that allows them to act the way they do..
Why does it feel like they`re doing us a favour each time they agree to drive us around???
On Thursday , after making several fruitless attempts at trying to persuade rickshaws to take me to college i finally found one "kind" enough to help me out.
Now we all know how much rickshaw drivers love to talk..
All he needed was a little nudge.Surprise was abuses !@#$% were not hurled at RTO.. I realised that story i had heard was all wrong.
He said last week the RTO started surprise meter checks on rickshaws near Ghatkopar. The rickshaw driver whose meter were found faulty were charged massive fines.Unwilling to simply pay for their wrong doings they thought they could get away with gathering enough rickshaw drivers and going on strike. They received support from other drivers who had been fined by the RTO for other reasons and together they made sure that everyone supported their "cause".
Drivers unwilling to support them were beaten and their rickshaws were damaged. He also told that majority of the city drivers were against the strike but din`t want to risk damage of their rickshaw...
Finally some of these drivers were arrested and everything went back to normal..
Understandably he was fairly upset that he missed three days of work but at same time felt helpless towards the situation. The rest of the journey was fairly quiet. The fact that he looked back each time he spoke worried me enough to stop the conversation..:)
With this strike behind us we now look forward to the day when this entire drama starts again..unless the authorities in city can tighten their belts and make sure that the city isn`t dictated by a group of thugs..
