Birgunj. Birendra Mahato of Birgunj Metropolitan-15, Bishwa, did not have to wait long for passengers to board his rickshaw in Birgunj Bazaar until two decades ago. He used to rush around to take passengers he met at every intersection to their destination. He had also been providing good education to his five children through that same work.
However, in the past five years, the situation of rickshaw drivers like him in Birgunj has become very miserable. Now, 47-year-old Mahato complains that it is difficult to find passengers to board his rickshaw around Birgunj.
‘Until 20 years ago, he used to rush around to take passengers in his rickshaw to their destination. Even then, the income would have been good,’ he said. ‘Nowadays, the autorickshaws that are found everywhere have taken away the jobs of hired rickshaw drivers like us. Nowadays, it has become difficult to earn even Rs. 700 a day.’
Mahato, a father of three daughters and two sons, complained that he was struggling to support his family by driving a rickshaw.
‘Now, the inflation has skyrocketed. Even if I work from 3 am to 8 pm, I can barely earn Rs. 700,’ he said. ‘Of that 700, there is another obligation to pay 200 to the rickshaw driver.’
Most of the rickshaw drivers here do not even have their own rickshaws. Most of the rickshaw drivers are earning their living by driving moneylenders’ rickshaws for an average of Rs 150 to Rs 200 per day.
‘The fare of auto-rickshaws is much cheaper than that of rickshaws and the greed of reaching the destination faster makes the general public not interested in riding in rickshaws,’ said rickshaw driver Mahato. ‘How can the rates of auto-rickshaws run by machines and rickshaws run by our blood and sweat be the same?’
An autorickshaw can travel from Birgunj’s Ghanta Ghar Chowk to the bus park for only Rs 10, while a rickshaw costs at least Rs 30, so rickshaws are not much of a choice for the general public these days. He expressed his sorrow that he has been driving a rented rickshaw because he could not afford to buy an autorickshaw.
‘If you are not able to buy a rickshaw that costs Rs 50,000 yourself, how much more is it a dream to buy an autorickshaw that costs Rs 400,000?’ Driver Mahato said.
The number of rickshaws plying in the ancient and commercial city of Birgunj has also decreased. Now, there are more than 200 rickshaw drivers in Birgunj on average. Basanta Giri, 46, who has been driving a rickshaw around the clock tower in Birgunj, also said that it has become difficult to earn a living by driving a rickshaw.
‘Nowadays, it has become difficult to earn a living by driving a rickshaw,’ he said, ‘I have no other skill except driving a rickshaw. But if the situation continues like this, I will have to be displaced one day.’
Not only Nepali citizens but also Indian citizens are driving rickshaws in Birgunj. Suresh Ram, 60, from Bettiah district in the Indian state of Bihar, also shares his experience of a recent decrease in the number of passengers riding rickshaws.
‘My life is better than driving a rickshaw,’ he said. ‘I have been driving a rickshaw in Birgunj for 45 years. But now there are fewer and fewer passengers taking rickshaws. If the situation continues like this, I feel like I will have to return home.’ He said, ‘Battery-powered autorickshaws have taken away all our jobs. How can we survive?’
In the experience of rickshaw driver Ram, passengers take rickshaws only when they are not available and when it is necessary. ‘They take rickshaws only on short routes and in places where autorickshaws do not ply, according to the passenger’s choice,’ he said. ‘Earlier, there was a rush to get into rickshaws. Nowadays, only the elderly take them.’
Recently, rickshaws and rickshaws have been disappearing in Birgunj. Only a small number of rickshaws and rickshaws are seen on the roads around Birgunj. Recently, the young generation is being attracted to driving electric and petroleum-powered autorickshaws. The youth who have returned from foreign employment are increasingly being attracted to autorickshaws (tepo).
Birgunj Metropolitan-15 Nagawa Mohammad Sabiru also went to the United Arab Emirates for three years for foreign employment. But since he could not enjoy it much here, he has been driving a rented auto rickshaw in the Birgunj market for a year.
‘It’s more fun to drive an auto rickshaw in your own backyard than in Dubai, the Arabian Gulf city,’ he said, recalling the past. ‘The income here may be eight to ten thousand less than in Dubai, but working with your family is a special joy.’ Sabiru said that he has been driving a rented auto rickshaw for Rs 700 a day.
‘In the past, there were very few people who rode rickshaws,’ he said. ‘Nowadays, since auto rickshaws are fast and cheap, everyone prefers them.’ He said that he can earn an average of Rs 2,000 per day by driving an autorickshaw. ‘I am now happily supporting my family by driving an autorickshaw,’ he said.
Nishachandra Thakuri, who has been driving an electric rickshaw in Birgunj for 10 years, also shares her experience of the decline in her income from e-rickshaws.
‘Since autorickshaws and e-rickshaws are available here step by step, her income is also decreasing,’ she said. ‘Now it is difficult to earn even Rs 1,500 per day. Due to the competition between taxi and autorickshaw drivers, sometimes she is forced to drive empty-handed.’
Chandra is known as the first female e-rickshaw driver in Birgunj. She claims that when she started driving e-rickshaws, only 10 e-rickshaws were plying in Birgunj.
Lokraj Bhatta, Chief of the District Traffic Police Office, Parsa, says that traffic jams occur due to the large number of autorickshaws plying in the Birgunj Bazaar area. ‘Autorickshaws are the only means of transporting passengers in the Birgunj Bazaar area. Due to the small vehicles, traffic management problems are also increasing during the pick-up hours.’
Autorickshaws, rickshaws, tongas, and two-wheelers ply in large numbers in the Birgunj market area. Due to this, the roads here have been filled with autorickshaws and small vehicles in recent times.
There is no exact data on the number of autorickshaws plying in and around Birgunj metropolis. However, the concerned bodies here estimate that around 4,000 will be running. Birgunj Metropolitan Road and Transport Branch Chief Vijay Gupta said that around 750 autorickshaws have been registered in the metropolis.
‘Since autorickshaws ply in Birgunj from all 14 municipalities of Parsa, it is becoming increasingly challenging to determine the number and manage it,’ he said. ‘Due to lack of manpower, there is also a problem in managing autorickshaws and taxis.’
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