In pictures: Rickshaw refurbishments

10th May 2112, New Delhi, India. Auto Rickshaw driver Samvir Singh Thakur (26) inside his rickshaw at the Auto-Rickshaw repair and refurb market in Madangiri, New Delhi, India on the10th May 2012. Singh calls his rickshaw "The UP Express" (UP stands for the state Uttar Pradesh) and it is decorated with images of Bollywood stars Katrina Kaif and Shah Rukh Khan CREDIT: SIMON DE TREY-WHITE FOR The National + 91 98103 99809 + 91 11 435 06980 [phone] [phone] email: [e-mail]

There are currently 55,000 auto rickshaws on the streets of Delhi today. All of them now run on compressed natural gas, which causes less pollution than traditional fuel.

The rickshaw business is set to boom with 45,000 new licences to be issued by the Delhi government.

Mohammad Shafiq welds at the shop. this month, the Delhi government’s transport department will issue 45,000 new licenses for auto rickshaws. The Supreme Court last November lifted a ban on new licenses that had been in place since 1997 in a bid to stop???

Mohammad Shafiq turns an auto rickshaw on its side for inspection. Rickshaw drivers, as well as the mechanics who keep them running and do the detailing, are preparing for a significantly altered business environment.

He worked seven days a week, both day and night shifts for three months to save up for the redecoration. He says he earns between 200 and 400 rupees a day driving the rickshaw. “I spend more time with her [the auto] than anyone else. Why should she be s???

The auto market is a cluster of about 30 shops and nearly a hundred mechanics on a grease-covered street.

They are upbeat about business prospects with 45,000 new rickshaw licenses being issued. “We look forward to the young ones, those are the drivers who like to lovingly decorate their autos before they get married and are burdened with household expense???

Using pictures of popular Bollywood stars in your auto rickshaw upholstery is one way of enticing potential customers in New Delhi.

A panel-beater works an auto rickshaw into shape at the repair and refurbishment market in Madangiri, New Delhi.