Adios To Rickshaw Ride In Chandni Chowk

The decision of barring cycle rickshaw from entering to bustling areas of Chandni Chowk seems to me not an easy morsel to be digested easily. Say it my sympathy towards thousands of rickshaw pullers or say it my listlessness for crap idea of Delhi High Court to accept it a way to make Delhi a global city.

Many will argue that getting rid off rickshaw from Chandni Chowk may save thousands of commuters from traffic snarl. In fact, this was the basis upon which the court ordered exude of 2500 of rickshaw plying between Lahore Gate (of Red Fort) and Fatehpuri Masjid. In words of one of MCD persons, "They (rickshaw pullers) make it very difficult for the fast moving vehicles to pass. They stand in clusters and create congestion." My lord, If traffic snarl is the reason, why don't you order some initiatives to be taken to chuck out hundreds of cars parked on both sides of the road? And yes, make also a rule to curb the growing number of vehicle in Delhi. You must be aware, my lord, that the number of vehicle (around 4.4 million) we have in Delhi is equal to the sum of total vehicle in three other metro, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

15 small CNG buses have begun plying on the route, Digambar Jain Mandir-Fatehpuri Masjid, charging flat rate of Rs 5. I wonder while thinking which way it is going to act as palliative for thousands of commuters. I agree, it is definitely a good move if we think of environmental issues like pollution. But is it possible for 15 CNG buses replacing 2500 of rickshaws in so little time? It is not even a week since the shuttle service has started, and commuters are grumbling over the inconvenience they are suffering. Buses are most often too crowded to occupy a single bone. What if a senior citizen or a physically challenged man has to rush urgently to their destination? Will they wait for crowded CNG bus to get pissed into or they will call or a rickshaw Wallah Bhaiya, and have a place (costing a meager sum of Rs 10) worth occupying 2 butts?

Leave arguments. My recent reading of BBC website says that authorities in global cities like Singapore, Paris and London are planning to license rickshaw to ply on their roads. If sophisticated city like London can think of rickshaw being an eco-friendly and comfortable way of commuting, and seems excited to see it running in Oxford's streets, why can't Chandni Chowk accept it wholeheartedly as its most favourite commuting tool?

Should court be so supportive to those local businessmen who appealed for rickshaw ban in the area, simply because they are a bit annoyed every morning due to traffic puzzle while driving their Chevrolet and Honda? Reasons are numerous to advocate for allowing rickshaw to ply again on Chandni Chowk. At least think of those rickshaw pullers toiling hard, and can't even think of earning more than Rs 150-250 a day. There are 15000-20000 rickshaw plying in Chandni Chowk and its adjoining areas. The ban on rickshaw to ply in Chandni Chowk will affect their livelihood badly. Thousands of them might be able now to earn only half the penny they used earlier. And, little to surprise, several hundreds of them might lose their profession, and will loiter to seek new job.

Poach The Poachers, Groan The Indian Tiger

Despite the fact that respect for environmental and wildlife conservation have always greatly been in practice since hundreds of years in India, today the plight of Indian Tigers can't be ignored. Falling in big cat category of wild beast, Tiger, about which, if i was taught accurately in my 2nd or 3rd grade, is the national animal of India. Wonderful!


So, what is making Tigers a hot talk now-a-days? First, let me contradict that Tigers have never been a matter of deep concern. How many times have you heard parliamentarian of India having a debate over Tiger conservation in the country? Yes, some credit have to be given to some of environment journalists as well as some media publication houses.

Why Tigers Are So Important

The first question that has to be directed here that why biologists and environment specialist keep talking so much of Tigers. Dear honey, Tigers are predators, who play an important role in balancing the food chain of our Eco system. Facilitating it to understand, Tigers belong to category of carnivore, which according to the food system control the population of herbivore. (Herbivore are animals like Cow and Sheep who live by eating plants only. Now don't ask who are carnivores.) So, if herbivore quits becoming prey to predators, then the increased number of plant eating animals (herbivore) will become threat to the greenery of our environment. That is where predators like Tiger comes to great handy of protecting our Eco system, as it controls the number of herbivores, and balance the entire ecological food system.

The Current Grueling Figure

The decreased number of Tigers in India, which claims to be proud home to almost half of the Tigers, has become serious environmental concern for years. Lets play with figures. A hundred year ago when the Tiger population in India was no less than 40,000, in the year 1972 when the widely celebrated Project Tiger were instituted, the number fell down to 1827.

Thanks to Indira Ji, the Indian version of 'Iron Lady' and the then Prime Minister of India, who gave her full support to this world's most successful wildlife conservation program, the number of Tigers in merely next 7 years (in 1979) rose to 3017, which soared further to 3959 in 1984. The recently promulgated report of Wildlife Institute Of India (WII) has it estimation that the number of Tigers in India may descend to around 1200, though the full national figures will be published by WII by the end of this year. Little to surprise, on the another hand, biologists claim that the figure might be as less as 800.

Poaching – The Most Serious Threat

Tiger poaching, causing the serious threat to Indian Tigers, though not have been the single reason, but definitely can be termed as the most important reason. if unofficial sources are to be believed, almost 200 Tigers alone in India fall prey to poachers every year. The poached Tigers are marketed by smugglers to neighbouring countries, especially to Tibet and China where Tiger skins are worn as traditional dress (in Tibet), and bones are used as effective reliever of several of diseases (in China). Each part of Tiger's body come at a price here. Bones – £200/kg, Penis - £425 per piece, Tooth - £60 p/p. And when it comes to buying a full bodied dead Tiger, in black market it costs around £25,000.

Figures are really dreadful piercing a needle to our thoughts to believe that survival of big cats including Tigers and Leopards becoming arduous. And if we make our imagination a bit more horrid, few years down we would be seeing them only in celebrated television show of National Geographic and Discovery channels.

What Needs To Be Done

It is not that government is not aware of such ill-intentioned game of poachers, who blinded in material gaining kill Tigers. But the initiatives as well as funds allocated by Ministry Of Forest And Environment have not been appropriate to meet the challenges posed before Tigers.
 
To relocate the 1500 villages inhabited by 3,00,00 people falling inside the total 28 Tiger reserves of India, NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) have allocated a meager and ridiculous amount of 200 crore of rupees for the next 5 years. Besides, to protect Tigers from being speared and poisoned by poachers, Government ought to understand that we do not need only Tiger Task Force, but also a suitable and effective management system minus any political motive to give the Tiger conservation program a successful run.

Legalise Prostitution: Let the Flesh Smile

Even after almost six decades of our country’s awakening, prostitutes in our society are in no better condition, and have been clubbed with most backward sections of our society. In the working of law also, these “Fallen Women” own no dignity and self-respect. Our society loathes these sex workers for soliciting and luring men away from wives. But what if prostitution is banned in India, and Delhi, our national capital receives the proud nomination for International Rape Capital, as rape cases will grow from average 600 in a year today to 6,000?

There is a large number of head hoarding, who advocate to ban prostitution in the countr They should be asked first a neat question that who should be held responsible or victim for prostitution. A man who relish the sex flesh, satiate his lust or a woman who gets money, and earn her livelihood? As far as I think, prostitution is victim less crime in which both sides gain. One gets money, and another sex.

Instead of curbing the rights and dignity of prostitutes, society and law in our country ought to make condition of prostitutes better, so that they can also contribute in their economic and social growth of our nation. Most of the prostitutes are exploited by pimps, middlemen and police. Besides, their unsafe sex with clients creates in them a favourite house for HIV viruses, which are passed ultimately to clients. Last year, Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Amendment Bill was passed, which introduces a provision making clients punishable. Such harsh action will not only pauperise the prostitutes, but also give police an opportunity to snatch money from prostitute’s clients.

It is very logical to ask why prostitution, the oldest profession of our society, is crimilised in India when it is legal in other countries like Greece, Brazil and Denmark. One would be surprised to know that Dutch prostitutes pay 19% VAT on their earning, and Australia’s leading sex company, Daily Planet, was listed on the stock exchange two years ago. Likewise, government of our nation, instead of imposing any rude law, which grabs the prostitute’s dignity and profession, should accept prostitution as an economic activity, and try to provide them better living condition, as the healthy number of prostitutes can make our country richer by more than 10,000 cr rupees a year. This is the one way how 23 lakh “Fallen Women” of our country shall not feel themselves fallen.