Lockdown blues: Families of 65,000 auto-rickshaw drivers in Amritsar struggling to make both ends meet

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I earned ₹600-₹700 daily, of which I would pay ₹300 as rent of the auto-rickshaw IQBAL, a three-wheeler driver

AMRITSAR:Iqbal Singh (53), who has been driving auto-rickshaw in Amritsar city for the last three decades, suddenly found himself in a tight spot when curfew came in force in Punjab on March 23, with all public transport going off road.

Not having earned a single penny in the last 52 days and no alternate source of earning, he and his wife Jasbir Kaur (51) are now finding it difficult to arrange their daily meals. To add to their woes, the rent and electricity bills of the house they live in Ghanupur Kale area of the city are piling up.

“I earned Rs 600-700 daily, of which I would pay Rs 300 as rent of the auto-rickshaw,” said Iqbal.

The couple’s daughter was married off four years ago while their son migrated to Saudi Arabia in 2017 to work there as a labourer.

“Our son is stuck there and has not sent a single rupee to us in the last three years,” he said.

Iqbal is not the only one whose life got turned upside down since the lockdown was announced to check the spread of the coronavirus. Like him, there are nearly 65,000 auto-rickshaw drivers in Amritsar district who are struggling to eke out a living.

Lakhs of tourists visit the city daily, a key source of income for the auto-rickshaw drivers.

Ram Sharanpal, president, Amritsar School Vans and Auto-rickshaw Welfare Association, says around 2.5 lakh people are dependent on the business. “I am getting calls daily as some of them are on the brink of starvation,” he said.

Some auto-rickshaw drivers have started selling vegetables and fruits while others are working as labourers in the grain markets.

“Our livelihoods have been destroyed by the pandemic. We do not see any hope. We will not see any tourist here for at least one year,” says Joginder Singh (52), a rickshaw driver who lives in Putlighar locality.