This autowala in Khammam is a true Good Samaritan

Wyra: For this 55-year-old tyre puncture repair mechanic cum auto-rickshaw driver, serving the needy is a divine calling.Meet the seventh class passed humble autowala, Shaik Lateef of Siripuram Kakanagiri (KG) of in Wyra mandal in Khammam district, who proves the fact that virtue and empathy do not necessarily come from college degrees or one need not to be rich enough to help others.This Good Samaritan is just a phone call away for anyone who needs a free ride in times of emergency, in his auto rickshaw, especially for pregnant women. A message written in Telugu on his vehicle says ‘free ride for pregnant women-Lateef’.Lateef, who started offering free rides for pregnant women four years ago, told Telangana Today that one needs to be blessed enough to be of any service to a pregnant woman. The idea of offering free rides to pregnant women struck him during the Covid crisis during which many restrictions were in force to travel on roads.
He runs a tyre puncture repair shop at his native village Siripuram KG. He had to sell his two- wheeler to buy an auto rickshaw to become an autowala and soon after that he started his free service to pregnant women.Lateef informed that in order to let the people know about his free service for pregnant women, he ran a campaign using a mic and speaker for a few weeks besides printing and distributing visiting cards to people with his mobile phone number on it. He offers free service in as many as 10 villages such as stage Pinapaka, old Pinapaka, Siripuram KG, Pusalapadu, Musala Madugu and others.The autowala explained that he usually picks up the women from their houses to go to hospitals in Wyra and drops them back at their homes. Sometimes if there is any emergency he even goes to Khammam; waits for them until their medical checkups are over and returns back home.Revealing how he manages to meet the expenses towards the free service, Lateef said that his main source of income is his tyre puncture repair shop. He sets aside some money he earns from it for the free service.His free services are not just limited to pregnant women. He also offers to and fro ride free of cost to girl students who appear for SSC annual exams. Lateef said that every year he picks up one village of the ten villages he serves; takes all the students of that village to exam centres and waits for them until they finish the exam as the villages lack a bus facility.Lateef’s auto rickshaw often turns into an ambulance. When ambulances are not available to those who have some medical emergency in the case of a road accident he takes the injured to nearby hospitals free of cost. Every summer he sets up a ‘Chalivendram’ (water kiosk) at his shop to provide water to the public.