Daily exploitation of thousands of Warkaris coming to Pandharpur from across the state; Rickshaw fares of ₹30-50 inflated to ₹150-200!
Every day, 25,000 to 30,000 Warkaris, as well as other devotees, visit the sacred town of Pandharpur for the darshan of Shri Vitthal from Maharashtra and various other states. During the Wari period, this number reaches lakhs. Most of these devotees arrive by ST buses and trains. Since there is no urban bus transport in Pandharpur, the only option for devotees to travel to and from the bus station and railway station for the darshan of Shri Vitthal is by rickshaw. Ideally, the fare should be ₹30 from the bus station and ₹50 from the railway station according to the meter, but devotees are being charged ₹150 to ₹200, leading to rampant exploitation. To prevent this open financial looting of ordinary Warkaris, the State Regional Transport Department needs to take action. Highlighting this serious issue, a demand for immediate measures to stop the financial exploitation of devotees in Pandharpur and other pilgrimage centers has been made by Solapur District Coordinator of ‘Surajya Abhiyan’ of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, Mr. Dattatreya Pise, during a meeting with Assistant Regional Transport Officer of Solapur, Mr. Vijay Tiranakar . Present on the occasion were Mr. Rajendra Palanati and Mr. Kishor Pukale.
The distance from Pandharpur bus station to Shri Vitthal temple is one and a half kilometers, and the distance from Pandharpur railway station to the temple is two kilometers. Here, rickshaw drivers do not charge according to the meter. Often, seeing that the passengers are new, rickshaw drivers charge as much as ₹150 to ₹200. With no other alternative, the devotees are left with no option but to pay the inflated fare. Mr. Pise pointed out that if the rickshaw drivers charged fair fares, it would benefit everyone.
‘Surajya Abhiyan’ suggests solutions to the Transport Department!
A memorandum regarding this issue has also been submitted to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the Secretary of the Transport Department, the Transport Commissioner, and the District Collector of Solapur. The suggested measures include fixing rickshaw fares for the route to and from the Shri Vitthal-Rukmini temple, displaying fare boards at rickshaw stands and the temple, providing a ‘helpline number’ on boards for complaints against rickshaw drivers charging more than the set fare, conducting surprise inspections by transport authorities and penalizing those charging excess fares, and making free or low-cost transportation available for devotees. This issue is not limited to Pandharpur but may be occurring at all pilgrimage centers in the state, and a thorough investigation should be conducted to take appropriate action. Surajya Abhiyan has demanded that the Transport Department stop the financial exploitation of lakhs of Warkaris and earn the blessings of Vitthal Mauli, said Mr. Pise in his appeal.
