Auto, taxi drivers in Uttarakhand offer free rides for soldiers going back to duty amid India-Pakistan tensions

DEHRADUN/PITHORAGARH: As tension brews along the India-Pakistan border, an unlikely group has quietly mobilised in Uttarakhand -- auto-rickshaw drivers in Dehradun and taxi operators in the hills of Pithoragarh. With an intention to do their bit to help armed forces personnel, they've begun offering free rides to soldiers rejoining their units on emergency call, and to the families seeing them off.In Dehradun, nearly 100 auto rickshaw drivers have joined the effort, ferrying uniformed personnel and their relatives free of charge from key city junctions like the railway station and Rispana bridge. "Those participating in the initiative have pasted stickers on their vehicles mentioning the free offer," said Pankaj Arora, president of Doon Autorickshaw Union (DAU), which launched the service three days ago, following the start of Operation Sindoor.Although a ceasefire was declared on Saturday, Arora said the service would continue for at least a week. "Many might also be returning from the units after the ceasefire was announced. We believe this is the least we could do in service of the nation in this crisis situation," he added.In Pithoragarh, Bhupendra Singh, a taxi driver, has been offering free rides to Delhi for soldiers returning to base from leave. Singh, whose father fought in the 1971 war, said, "So far, I have offered the service to more than 50 army personnel from different places of Pithoragarh to Delhi without taking any fare. My father is an Army veteran and fought in the war against Pakistan. Hence, I know the value of the men in uniform during wars.I will continue to offer this service in the coming days."Singh's company, which runs eight cars, is part of a small but growing local network of drivers responding to the call of duty in their own way. Narendra Singh, another Pithoragarh resident involved in the initiative, said, "We posted our mobile numbers on social media to enable the armed forces personnel to contact us for the service. We pick them up from their home and drop them off at their destination. Our service will continue till the tensions are completely over."