Role of Non -Motorized Transport in Distribution of Goods in the Metropolitan City of Delhi

Freight transport plays a vital role in metropolitan economy of Delhi. The goods traffic moving in and out of Delhi is increasing at an average annual growth rate of 10.97%. While LCV forms the backbone of goods movement along with goods auto rickshaws in Delhi for longer leads the non-motorized modes are increasingly becoming important for shorter leads for distributing goods particularly in wholesale markets located in the Walled city besides selected wholesale markets located outside the walled city. This present paper is an attempt to highlight the role of NMT modes such as cycle rickshaws, handcarts, animal carts, cycle rickshaw and head loads in five case wholesale markets located in walled city of Delhi dealing in foodgrains, textiles, autoparts, electrical and hardware respectively besides two wholesale markets of timber and fruits & vegetable market at Kotla and Okhla in South Delhi respectively.