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The Pink Room: A conversation with Mumbai's autowala who is staring at a financial crisis due to the lockdown
Amid the Coronavirus outbreak in India, here's how a Mumbai autowala is fighting against the Coronavirus crisis as he narrates his tale to Pinkvilla. READ ON!
Stand-up comedians love to sucker punch them with warm-up jokes. There is a love-hate relationship that has been brewing for ages between them and Mumbaikars. Yes, we are referring to the [auto] rikshawalas of Mumbai. Sumit Sunil Shirke is one of them. He is a BCA graduate who drives an auto; sometimes for as much as 12 to 13 hours to make enough money that would not just meet the needs of his family but also pay-off the monthly EMI of his auto loan. "Whatever I earn during the day decides what we eat at night. Thank god I had saved some money for a rainy day. Since the lockdown, I have consumed most of my savings now, and I am worried about the future, he says.
After the Union government announced nationwide lockdown, the RBI had directed banks to offer a three-month moratorium on loans and recently added that this should be provided with an opt-out option to all borrowers. While few banks had promptly reached out to their customers with loan accounts, few others seem to have taken time to put into effect the RBI's recommendation. "I was informed that this month the instalment will not be auto-debited. However, my bank deducted the monthly EMI. When I enquired, they informed it was because an auto-debit option which was selected for my account when I signed the documents. They assured me that next month they will not deduct the EMI," Sumit reveals with a heavy note of disappointment in his voice.
In my family, there are four members, and this is our source of livelihood. On regular days, I drive to Bhandup or Sion. My vehicle is also registered under OLA and Uber auto. We are already struggling to make ends meet. Now, there are rumours that the situation is worsening and state government might extend the lockdown. I don't know what to do?" he asks even though it was just an attempt to shake-off a rhetorical question that has been playing on his mind. "Autos can't ply on the roads during the lockdown. The police have been strict. A few days ago, I was taking a patient to a hospital. The police stopped us and checked the vehicle. They let us pass only after carefully confirming our statement and examining the hospital papers,' he says. "Auto requires CNG, but the petrol pumps have been instructed to only give fuel for an emergency. Emergency personnel are only getting fuel after showing employee identification.
Now, I don't have much CNG left in my auto," he adds. Many such auto-drivers are facing similar situations. "Autowalas already have a lot of problems. The open permit system has resulted in many people driving an auto without proper documents. Amidst all these now corona has made it more difficult for us, Sumit says. "The auto union members are contemplating to write a letter to Maharashtra CM. We fully understand the government might have to extend lockdown to save the lives of millions.
However, we want to tell him that many of us don't earn enough to save. We will write to the Chief Minister that if they can't extend us monetary help, at least take care of our grocery," he says and adds, "Madam, if you need to travel, please save my number." As I end the call, I wish this conversation would have happened on my way to my office in his auto. He deserved a five-star rating.
