Forget Eid: Autowallahs unsure of next meal

Hyderabad: It has been one-and-half-a-months since more than a lakh three-wheelers which used to ferry people to nook and corners of the city came to a grinding halt. For most of the autowallahs, this lockdown is nothing less than a nightmare, as they eke out their living and since lockdown they have been without wages or means to support their families.

While the State governments of Karnataka and Delhi are extending financial assistance of about Rs 5000, autowallahs rue lack of any support from the Telangana government.

Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Telangana State Auto drivers Association convenor Mohammed Amanullah Khan said that around 1.5 lakh autos were plying in city and more than 50 per cent were running autos on rent. "More than 5 lakh people depend on autowallah, who have fallen on hard times to make both ends meet. Auto drivers survive on their daily earnings, lockdown has left them in dire straits," he lamented.

Khan clarified that even though State government was providing Rs 1,500 and Rs 12 kg rice to white ration card holders, most of these drivers do not have the privilege. "We auto drivers urge the CM to provide help on lines of Delhi and Karnataka," he urged.

Auto drivers usually earn around Rs 600 to Rs 800 after deduction of daily rental and fuel expenses. But this year we were struggling to arrange for food and other items, leave alone make arrangements for celebrating Ramzan," deplored Md Azeem, an auto driver.

According to a survey by Helping Hand Foundation (HHF), amongst 60 per cent of the weaker sections in Muslim community, around a quarter depend on autos. Nearly 52% of auto drivers had 3 or more children and 73% stay in rented houses and 43% are heavily indebted. "With sudden loss of livelihood since the lockdown stated, they are suffering untold hardships," said Mujtaba Hasan Askari of HHF.