Asom to 'export' special rickshaws to other states

Guwahati, May 4 (UNI) A car-manufacturing unit might still be elusive for Asom, but it is set to 'export' rickshaws to the rest of the country in a big way.

The 'Rickshaw Bank' (RB), had drawn mass adulation for helping the poor rickshaw-pullers in the state to gain a stable financial position, has long-drawn plans to expand its network all over the nation.

Informing this at a press meet here today, Dr Pradip Kumar Sharma, the man behind the project, said, ''Besides Asom, our specially designed rickshaws are already plying on the roads of Agartala in Tripura and Chennai. We are planning to enter more states.'' The rickshaw has been designed and developed by the IIT, Guwahati, and had been operational in the state since November 2004.

An NGO called Centre for Rural Development (CRD) provide these rickshaws, worth Rs 10,500, to the needy on easy installment of Rs 25 per day.

Dr Sharma informed that- Surat and Noida, would be soon added to the map of the RB during 2007-08.

''For Surat we are designing a special goods-carrying rickshaw, to ferry goods in the textile mills there,'' he added.

The Noida rickshaws would have FM radio sets, Dr Sharma said, adding that the CRD was in touch with a Chinese firm to introduce battery-operated engines in these special rickshaws.

The battery would allow the rickshaw to run for about 80 km at 15 km per hour with three hours of battery backup, Dr Sharma said adding that the idea is at a nascent stage and would take some time to be operational.

''The RB plans to expand to Patna and Kolkata during 2008-09 and Siliguri and Bhubaneswar during 2009-10,'' Dr Sharma informed, adding that these expansion projects would be of franchise mode.

He said, ''We are planning for Benaras, Lucknow and Allahabad in the first phase, while ten other cities, in two other phases, will be targeted.'' The America-India Foundation (AIF) would help the local NGOs in these cities, he added.

Dr Sharma further informed that 1,154 rickshaws provided by the RB were plying on the roads of Asom at present, after the first batch of 80 rickshaws was released on city streets on November 20, 2004.

The RB had made its appearance in Agartala with 100 rickshaws last year and the figure has gone up to 315 now.

The project had also benefited the Tsunami survivors in Chennai as the RB in association with Care-India had provided 200 rickshaws in August, 2006.

Dr Sharma said the target clients of the project were eight million rickshaw-pullers in the country, 95 per cent of who were unable to own a rickshaw they ply in their lifetime.

''We are endeavouring to percolate the benefits to the rickshaw-pullers after making them the owner of their rickshaws,'' he added.

UNI