Tonga ride a phone call away in Indore

After radio taxis, it is time for 'radio tongas'.
A city-based organisation has introduced four redesigned tongas -- horse-drawn carriages -- which can be summoned on phone, in an attempt to keep this old-world mode of transportation alive.
"We have redesigned four tongas by introducing modern facilities in them which ensure minimum jerks, and like Radio Taxis, they are a phone call away for those who want to enjoy a ride," said Bhalu Mondhe of Nature Volunteers Organisation.
The organisation has also made mobile phone numbers of tonga operators available on Facebook.
The objective was to ensure that tongas, reminder of the time when Indore was a princely state, do not become extinct, he said.

At one time there were about 350 tongas operating in Indore. Now the number has dwindled to just 40, said Mondhe.
The organisation has demanded that administration should allot designated places in the city where tongas can stand.
President of local tonga operators association, Gulam Nabi Qureshi, said the new tongas, available for Rs 125 per hour, were getting a good response.