India as part of its commitment to global climate change action has pledged “45% reduction in emission intensity of GDP by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.” The transport sector is one of the key drivers of GDP and a reduction in the emission intensity of transport by adopting low carbon initiatives in cities will contribute to this Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). Transport is the third-largest source of CO₂.

Cities, while not the largest contributors to GHG in absolute numbers, have a high per capita carbon footprint. For e.g., while nationally the number of automobiles (cars, jeeps and taxis) per 1000 people is ~28 , cities such as Pune have almost 215 cars registered per 1000 people. Not only does this lead to problems such as air pollution (Pune is one of the 131 “non attainment” cities designated by the Government of India), congestion (Pune ranks 2nd in the list of congested cities in India) and deaths/injuries in road crashes, but also creates negative externalities that are borne by all segments of society, especially the poor.

The study explores the impacts on cycle rickshaw communities amidst a push towards green energy transition through a literature review and interviews with cycle rickshaw pullers and experts. Interviews with cycle rickshaw pullers in Chandni Chowk and Lajpat Nagar showed that most of the communities involved in the cycle rickshaw are primarily migrants who have vanished or adopted the E-ricks.

The challenge will lie in its implementation.

Recently a Business Plan was adopted by the PMPML (Pune Metropolitan Transport Corporation). Parisar has played a key role in this. Back in 2013 Parisar advocated for the creation of such a plan and got the Pune Municipal Corporation to allocate Rs 2 crores for the creation of the plan with the support of the Hon’ble Rajya Sabha MP, Smt. Vandana Chavan. A consortium of UMTC and Ernst & Young was appointed to prepare the plan. Parisar had insisted on comprehensive stakeholder consultations, including public inputs, which was done to some extent.

- Aditya Chawande (Architect Urban Designer, Project Associate at Parisar) 

The city takes birth from its core where people initially come together to give it the urban  form. In the constant pace of development of the city, natural increase in population and the  rapid expansion of the city into suburbs leading to peripheral zones and rings that are  supported by faster means of communication has turned the original core city into a neglected  area. Such transformation of the core city area has made it difficult to provide modern  standards of living befitting healthy urban development. These core areas have started facing  the dark effects of development by becoming more and more congested and may before long  lead to urban decay. Numerous issues of preservation and redevelopment is making the  situation even more difficult to respond to needs of planned growth. In spite of such crises the  core city continues to remain attractive and interesting on account of its historic quality of old  structures including houses, temples and riverside ‘Ghats’ that shows the potential to become a  unique environment that if planned wisely can connect the city with its past.