The Hindu : Bullock carts to the rescue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Bullock carts to the rescue

By Our Staff Reporter

Bullock carts bringing in vegetables to the city from the suburbs. Photo: S. Gopakumar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM April 22. The truckers' strike has rendered bullock carts one of the prime means of transport for carting vegetables and other commodities to the markets in the city. The small and medium vegetable farmers in the suburbs of the city, mainly Nedumangad and Neyyatinkara taluk and the neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu depend on carts to bring their produce to the city outlets since the strike began.

According to Joy, a cart driver in Nedumangad, the bullock carts had been remaining idle for want of takers till the last week. "Most of the days I had to strive hard to make money to feed the bullocks. I have been doing odd jobs to earn Rs.150 a day to feed them,'' he said.

Once the truckers' strike began, the farmers approached him to transport vegetables to the city and now there is a slight improvement in their plight. For, during the past eight days he had been regularly getting orders to bring vegetables and other goods to the city. But still there is heavy bargaining and he does not get a handsome remuneration.

Since there are curbs in entering the city roads during peak hours, the bullock carts set off from the town around 12 p.m. and reach the city by 6 a.m. the next day. If the load is too heavy, they halt the journey at at least three places and then proceed to Chalai market.

According to Chellaian who regularly brings jaggery, tamarind and other goods including vegetables from Kaliyikkavila in Tamil Nadu to Chalai, the strike has not helped improve their condition. "Even now we are being compelled to work for a pittance. This morning I brought around 12 sacks of jaggery and tamarind. Three others came in with vegetables. All that we have earned after the day's toil is Rs.130. Though the strike has not been settled, we have to return with empty carts,'' he said.

The carts from Kaliyikkavila start the journey at 10 p.m. and reach the city at daybreak the next day. They stop the journey at Neyyatinkara, Vazhimukku and Pappanamcode as the bullocks cannot travel the entire stretch at one go, Chellaian said.

In spite of their service to replenish the stock during a crisis, the cart drivers said that the traffic police still strictly enforce the curbs and do not allow them to move smoothly in the city. Both Joy and Chellaian said that police should be lenient to the carts drivers and should not harass them for even minor traffic snarls. But that argument does not seem to have gone well with the police authorities, they said.

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