THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Delegate autorickshaws have been an integral part of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) for a long time. The number of these autorickshaws was cut down this year as there were just five venues and fewer visitors. However, this year, the organisers made a historic decision by introducing e-autorickshaws manufactured by Kerala Automobiles Ltd (KAL) for transporting the delegates. This is the first time e-autos are being used in the film festival and the visitors are greeted by woman drivers.
Around 10 e-autorickshaws manufactured by KAL and commissioned under the Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited (SCTL) project are being used as delegate autorickshaws. “We are taking part in the event for the first time. All of us are getting around 15 trips daily. Some of the delegates get into a conversation with us. The only issue we face is that the battery charge of the e-auto decreases by evening. We hope that people will be familiar with the e-auto once IFFK ends,” said P Chandrika, a driver.
“The organising committee introduced e-autos to move to an eco-friendly way. It is a huge opportunity for the woman drivers as they are a part of one of the biggest events,” said Ajoy Chandran, secretary of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. Even the delegates are in awe of the decision of the organisers. “It is not safe to use public transportion these days. I applaud the decision to promote an eco-friendly mode of transportation,” said Dileesh Damodaran, a delegate.
KAL chairman Karamana Hari said the introduction of e-autos is in harmony with the government’s initiatives to make roads pollution-free. “Through this, more people will get a chance to know about e-autos and start using them. We are also planning to introduce them in other districts where IFFK will be organised. We are planning to talk to the dealers and will decide accordingly,” he said.