HC stays KMC's notification to ban handpulled rickshaws

Kolkata, Apr 10 (UNI) Calcutta High Court today stayed the civic authorities' notification to ban hand-pulled rickshaws in the city.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) had recently issued a notification banning the handpulled rickshaws following a bill passed in the West Bengal Assembly a few months back in this regard.

Justice Dipankar Dutta ruled that the KMC's notification would remain stayed till the case on the issue was settled down in the court.

Justice Dutta passed the ruling on a writ petition filed by the Hackneyed Carried Rickshaw Pullers Union, challenging the KMC's notification.

In its petition, the union said thousands of people would be out of livelihood if the handpulled rickshaws were banned.

It also stated that several rickshawpullers had reached an age, when they could not do anything but pull rickshaws to eke out a living.

The union also doubted state government's proposal to re-employ the rickshawpullers.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in 2005 had announced that handpulled rickshaws, introduced by the Chinese traders in the 19th century, would be banned in the city as it was inhuman.

Mr Bhattacharjee had said,''it was unthinkable in the 21st century that a man was drawing another man like a horse.'' UNI