Mobile tyre puncture shop helps man earn money during lockdown

Hit by the coronavirus- induced lockdown, the owner of a tyre puncture repair shop in Aurangabad found a way out to keep the flow of money on even during the challenging times- by providing the same service on his two-wheeler.

Shaikh Imran, 45, who has a puncture repair shop at Shahnoor Miya Dargah Chowk area in the city, said that due to the lockdown, he had to keep his unit shut.

"But even during the lockdown, vehicles of officers and employees working to curb the pandemic were moving on the streets," he said.

"Three years ago, I had done an experiment in which I fixed an air compressor on my scooter that runs on the vehicle's engine itself, and after that I had started fixing punctures by reaching different spots in the city. This came in handy for me during the lockdown," Imran added.

"Some people working in emergency services had saved my mobile number, which was shared in a big way during the lockdown. They started calling me to fix the tyre punctures," he said.

According to him, he provides the service in a limited area as the customers sometimes refuse to pay more than the regular charges.

"But I earned at least ₹500 on a daily basis during the lockdown period. I have been running the puncture repair shop since the last 10 years, but I started the mobile puncture fixing service three years as an experiment that helped me now," he said.

When asked if he was not afraid of working during the pandemic, he said, "I have to go out to earn money. I follow all safety measures."