Nagpur updates: Faced with unparalleled confusion to earn a living and forced to the brink due to the lockdown, autorickshaw drivers under the banner of Vidarbha Autorickshaw Chalak Federation have requested a special bailout package and free food grains from chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray.
The lockdown has prevented the plying of their vehicles by around 1 crore autorickshaw drivers across the state. In a memorandum to the CM, President Vilas Bhalekar of the Vidarbha Autorickshaw Chalak Federation said that in Nagpur there are 15 lakh permit holder autorickshaw drivers and five lakh driving license badge holders.
“Autorickshaw drivers earn day-to-day living. A significant number of drivers and their families are in a precarious situation but no package has been provided for them by either the state or the central government, “he said.
“The government must provide financial assistance to drivers who abide by the restrictions,” Bhalekar said, calling for other measures such as postponement of vehicle loan installments and tax rebate.
