Changes in City Transportation and Socio-Economic Scenario of Rickshaw Pullers: A Case Study Within English Bazar Municipal Area

Lack of enough sustainable job opportunities coupled with poverty in rural area has forced rural poor people to search a better settlement of their life in the cities. Lack of skill, lack of education and political forced these migrants to settle down them in unorganized sector for livelihood. They are engaged in various professions in informal sectors such as cycle-rickshaw pulling. Recently due to a many reasons like increase in population, private vehicles, traffic congestion, lack of road infrastructures etc. the nature and means of the transportation within a city is altering sustainably. English Bazar Municiapal area is no exception. This paper tries to recognize the present socio-economic condition of the existing rickshaw pullers within the English Bazar Municipal area and try gauge the future of the rickshaw pullers in such changing scenario.