For Western societies, the concept of a rickshaw may seem somewhat strange when considering that they are powered by a man walking or running before the cart in blistering heat and exceptionally harsh conditions. Its usage has in fact cropped up in many human rights debates in recent years as it is believed that this particular mode of transport is exploiting the poorest of workers. As a result, since the turn of the century there have been many laws passed to ban rickshaws in Asia, diminishing its use in many countries. Now, in 2011, the last fleet of rickshaws can be found in Calcutta, India, where rickshaw workers (called rickshaw wallahs) have managed to resist the global bans.