Rawalpindi: ‘Tanga’s back on 100 years old route

[Naveed Yaseen]

Faisal Kamal Pasha
Some five to six ‘kochwans’ have started plying ‘tongas’ between Chungi No. 22 and Kutchery Chowk, a 100-year-old route on which horse-driven carts were banned by the concerned authorities a few years back.

They have started the service, as it is the only source of livelihood for them. The officials of Chaklala Cantonment Board, the concerned authority, when contacted by ‘The News,’ expressed their ignorance over the issue.

A ‘kochwan’ confirmed that the concerned authorities have not formally opened the route, but they were plying ‘tongas’ on their own.

Allah Diya, a ‘kochwan,’ who has been in this business for 35 years, told ‘The News’ that he had decided to ply his ‘tonga’ on the route, as he has no other source to earn bread and butter for his family. He said that a large number of ‘kochwans’ were badly affected by the ban on ‘tongas’ on the route.

He said that people like to ride ‘tongas’ and “we manage to earn Rs200 to Rs300 per day.” He said that traffic police create hurdles in their business, but “it is the matter of our survival.”

Faizan, a commuter, said that the ‘tonga’ route from Chungi No. 22 to Kutchery Chowk was operational before the partition of the subcontinent. According to some people, this route is more than one hundred years old, he added.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=190131