Society and Culture

No Rickshaws in Chandni Chowk?

The High Court, which I thought was fairly level-headed, recently asked the MCD to ban cycle rickshaw’s in Chandni Chowk. Perhaps it was temporary insanity that prompted this decision.

For those that do not know it, Chandni Chowk is one of the oldest and busiest markets in India. In the neighborhood of Old Delhi, it is a stone’s throw from where I studied in Kashmere Gate, and I have fond memories of going there to buy cheap books, clothes, or generally to eat some of the best street food anywhere. The rickshaw was our savior then.
The official reason for the ban, of course, is to decongest the area, a problem for which the area’s traders had approached the court. The MCD, responding to the court order, will ban rickshaws and instead allow ‘environmentally friendly’ CNG powered mini-buses on the main thoroughfare.

But, how exactly are CNG buses more environmentally friendly than human powered rickshaws? And if the problem was congestion, that could have been solved by restricting the number of rickshaws or their movement.

In fact, it is hard to make any case against cycle rickshaws and for buses in an area like Old Delhi. In most parts of the developed world urban authorities are encouraging cycles and rickshaws, because they are pollution free. Equally important, in India they provide employment to many. What is needed then, is not the elimination of this mode of transport, but its organization and expansion into regulated, well-managed, enterprises. Not only should Chandni Chowk be a model, it should be extended to places like Connaught Place.

Then again, the only reason in favor of buses is the money that will flow to the powerful bus lobby, and by extension to the babus in MCD that regulate it.

It is exactly this kind of asinine tradeoff that sees India take two steps back for every one forward. During my last visit, my friends pointed out Delhi’s improved roads to me. Yet, what failed to note that the roads had improved for some, but become much worse for many (see previous post: On Delhi’s New Roads).

The implications go far beyond what happens in Chandni Chowk. This new decision is symptomatic of the social model we, as a nation, are choosing to adopt. And it reflects what Delhi is becoming – an urban center that makes the divide between the have’s and have-not’s – those inside and outside a car – that much clearer.