After a meeting slated with Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Traffic, Kewal Khurana, was repeatedly deferred, members of Devbhumi E-Rickshaw Owner and Driver Welfare Society alleged that it is just a way to deceive them and if the matter is not sorted out soon, drivers can resort to burning their e-rickshaws or themselves any day on any intersection of the city.
According to district president of the society, Ravindra Tyagi, “We have been given time by the traffic police three times since last week but every time they made an excuse to defer our meeting.
We were asked to meet them on Monday, but later they said that Circle Officer (CO), Traffic is on leave and the meeting will be held on Thursday.
The department is consistently making excuses to deceive us which is making the poor drivers annoyed and aggravated due to which any driver can resort to burning his e-rickshaw or himself any day on any intersection of the city.”Several meetings of e-rickshaw drivers have been reportedly deferred by the traffic police department which were initially slated by the department itself.
According to Bishan Thapa, a member of Devbhumi E-Rickshaw Owner and Driver Welfare Society, “No one is taking us seriously. We are even ready to drive our e-rickshaws for a fixed number of working hours but no initiation is being taken by the government. If the government cannot lift the ban of no entry on main roads of the city then it should get us loan waiver. Government waives the loan of businessmen and industrialists from time to time then waiving off our loan should not be an issue.
It would hardly be more than Rs two crore in total. Forget about the meals, but at least we and our families will not be humiliated by the bank employees every day.” Ramu Lal, another protesting driver said, “I bought this rickshaw nine months back with a loan. Now I do not know how to deposit instalments in the bank, or feed my family or treat my ailing son.
I am already living like a dead man, so if I have to burn myself or this e-rickshaw tomorrow or any other day, it would not be a big deal for me because whether I live or die, in both ways I will be unable to support my family.”
“We saw how the Anganwadi workers protested for two months and then they were heard by the government but we cannot afford to wait for two more months. We have families to take care of and we cannot survive without any earnings.
Probably we are poor people, and therefore we are being neglected by the government. I hope that after we immolate ourselves, government will at least listen to our fellow brothers.” Meanwhile, Tyagi said that if government does not take any decision soon then they will begin to protest in every programme of the state’s ministers.