According to the Transport Management Office, there are more than 50,000 city rickshaws in operation across Koshi province. When it is estimated that each rickshaw puller is supporting a family of at least four to five members, the revised Act is seen to have a direct impact on the lives of more than 200,000 working families.
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55-year-old Ramanand Sardar is waiting for customers by parking an electric rickshaw on the side of the road near Biratnagar Airport. There is sweat all over the forehead, a small towel in the hand. He has been raising his family by driving pedal rickshaws for a long time and started driving e-rickshaws only two years ago.
He was also forced to give up the old rickshaw after his fellow workers abandoned pedal rickshaws and switched to electric ones. However, the dreams of low-class workers like Sardar, who bought e-rickshaws with the dream of an easy livelihood, have been crushed by the new law of the state government. Thousands of city rickshaw workers in Koshi province are pressed by the weight of taxes, debt, regulations and an uncertain future.
The provincial government had passed the amendment ordinance of the 'Province Vehicle and Transport System Act 2077' passed on 16th Baisakh. Which has now taken away the authority of three-wheeled electric vehicle (e-rickshaw) registration, renewal and route license from the local level and focused it directly on the transport management office under the province .
E-rickshaws, which were easily registered in the municipality by paying 2 to 3 thousand rupees earlier, now have to pay a fee of more than 10 thousand rupees and register at the transport office. Before the
amendment, Sections 74 and 75 of the Vehicle Act had given all the rights to register, renew and route licenses of e-rickshaws to the local level. This made internal traffic management easier for the municipality. However, after the amendment of the law, that clause was repealed and now all the rights have been given to the state-level transport management office.
Provincial Government Spokesperson and Minister of Internal Affairs and Law Revathiraman Bhandari said that for the safety of the workers, the government has started the system of registering rickshaws in the province. In the past, most of the rickshaws were operating without registration. However, after the call of the province, the rickshaws have started to be registered in a hurry . "We have facilitated the distribution of licenses, we are also aware of the other safety of the workers," said Minister Bhandari, "not to make it difficult for the workers, it has been done for the sake of facilitation."
50,000 drivers, more than 200,000 dependents
It is estimated that there are more than 50,000 city rickshaws operating in Koshi province. When it is estimated that each rickshaw puller is supporting a family of at least four to five members, this revised act is seen to have a direct impact on the lives of more than 2 lakh working families . City rickshaw is the main means of daily passenger transportation in big and medium cities of the province like Biratnagar, Itahari, Dharan, Inaruwa, Damak, Birtamod. Students going to school, parents going to the market, patients going to the hospital and laborers going to work reach their destination on these vehicles. However, now the new law has shown signs of adding crisis not only to their profession, but also to their livelihood according to Dinesh Shrestha, an intellectual from Biratnagar.
series of problems, workers in neglect
Previously, when registered in the municipality, rickshaws registered at one local level were prohibited from entering another level . Because of this, the number of rickshaws in the city was kept under control. However, now that it will be registered in the province, that prohibition has been lifted. Now there is a good system where you can drive a rickshaw to any city in the province. However, according to the District Traffic Police Office, Morang, there is a possibility of excessive traffic in major cities. On the other hand, registration and renewal fees have increased by two to three times . The employment crisis experienced by the old rickshaws is now feared to be added to the new e-rickshaws. Rickshaw driver Mohammad Mian lamented, "Earlier, work was done by paying 2-3 thousand in the municipality. Paying 10,000 now means half a year's income has to be submitted to the province. We have a problem feeding our stomachs.'
It seems clear that the state government is planning to increase tax collection through the new law. However, there does not seem to be a serious discussion on the socio-economic impact of this. The time has come for the state government to give concrete answers to all the questions regarding the employment of more than 50,000 drivers, their dependent families, the internal traffic management of the city and the access of passengers.
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