With monsoon just a month away and no signs of a partial lifting of lockdown, a new crisis seems to be brewing up in Mumbai and its suburban areas.
During the lockdown 3.0, hundreds of autorickshaw and taxi drivers had left for their homes, mainly in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
The autorickshaw and taxi drivers are very much part of the transportation system of India's financial capital.
Many of them have gone in these vehicles itself -- as walking down was full of uncertainties.
In the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, during lockdown 1.0 and lockdown 2.0, they have been virtually left with no source of income or bank balance to rely on.
According to various estimates, nearly 50,000 taxis and over two lakh autos ply in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), spread over 6,355 sq km. While the population of MMR is over two crore, nearly 80 lakh plus people use Mumbai's suburban network daily for commuting.
Since a large population stays in MMR suburbs, they are heavily dependent on autos for commuting from home to suburban stations and from stations to offices and back. Those who work within 10 to 15 km of their residence, too, are heavily dependent on autos.
In Mumbai City, district taxis perform the same function as autos are not allowed.
"From the developments, we can expect that the lockdown will be lifted in a month's time. But, it will coincide with the onset of monsoon. Going to workspaces skipping autos, that too during monsoon, is not possible," says Kalyan Chatterjee, a resident of Vasai.
Auto driver Jagdish Singh, last week, travelled 1,800 km from Mumbai to Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh on his bike - that took him nearly three days. "There is a lot of uncertainty. We are not sure when the lockdown will end and when normal life will start. I was running out of money. Back in the village, I will not starve," said Singh, currently under quarantine.
More than 3,000 taxi drivers have left Mumbai, says AL Quadros, the president of Mumbai Taximen's Union.
According to Shashank Rao, president of Autorickshaw Chalak Malak Sangathana Sanyukt Kruti Samiti, the auto drivers were not left with any option. "Many have left in their autos with their families," he said.