“We have never been dependent on anyone for our livelihood except for our job of ferrying people. But the 45-day lockdown due to COVID-19 has made us economically weak and forced to seek succour from others,” rues C. Manikandan, an autodriver in Virudhunagar.
Manikandan is not the only autorickshaw driver who has been deprived of his regular income after the State government prohibited the three-wheelers and taxis, along with other public transport, from plying during lockdown.
Barring a handful number of autorickshaws that get opportunity to carry vegetables or take patients to hospitals, regular operation has come to a grinding halt.
Virudhunagar town has got some 300 autorickshaws operating from various spots such as Collectorate, old bus stand, railway station, government hospital and bazaar.
He complains that all the help they have got so far is ₹1,000 and free groceries given by the State government through fair price shops. “How does the government expect us to run the family with this little help. Neither the ruling party nor the opposition have come to our help in our town,” he says.
Another autodriver, R. Mariselvam, adds that only drivers registered with the unorganised sector welfare board got some assistance.
A majority of the autodrivers are not registered with the welfare board. “The drivers in the town have not been offered even some rice by anyone. They also need to pay their house rent,” he points out.
“Since my wife makes around ₹50 a day through her petty shop, my family keeps afloat in this critical situation. Others do not even have this money,” he says.
“Most of the people do not engage autorickshaws to go to hospital and, instead, go by two-wheelers as they do not have money to pay us,” he says.
The situation can become normal for autodrivers only when buses and trains are operated as people will move from one place to another, he feels.
