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| Delhi's Chandni chowk not to choke! | | |
BL KAK
NEW DELHI, May 29: Spotlights are on Delhi's historic Chandni chowk. It is going toi be a Black Friday for more than one lakh rickshaw pullers in the congested area. Civic authorities are ready with their teams to seize any rickshaw plying the main roads of the area from Friday (June 1) following a formal notification issued by the Delhi Traffic Police last Friday, banning cycle rickshaws, hand carts and animal-driven vehicles.
The cycle rickshaws are to be replaced by a fleet of 15 CNG-propelled buses, which would arrive at the stops every two minutes and charge a flat fee of Rs5. The decision is part of the grand plan to decongest Chandni Chowk and redevelop it in order to restore it to its pristine past.
It has, however, angered the rickshaw pullers who have threatened agitation, including blocking movement of traffic on roads that are off-limits. Though only 8,000 cycle rickshaw pullers have been issued valid licences, there are nearly 100,000 cycle rickshaws plying the streets of Chandni Chowk and its surrounding areas, chocking them to the extreme.
Civic authorities, however, say that only the illegal rickshaws would be affected since the ban would be in place from only 8 am to 8 pm and there will be no ban on them in the inside lanes, which are residential areas. The licenced rickshaws are to be issued new plates that cannot be duplicated. Cycle rickshaws usually charge Rs20 to ferry passengers from the Chandni Chowk metro station to Jama Masjid and charge almost the same amount for a trip to Fathepuri from the crossing in front of the Red Fort.
Authorities have been trying to run batter-operated buses in the area for the past few years without much success. Now that the slow moving cycle rickshaws would be out, authorities believe CNG buses will become popular and help decongest the area. Cycle rickshaws and horse-pulled tongas have already disappeared from several areas of the metropolis, including the entire New Delhi area.
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