Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

Autorickshaw drivers go on strike

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI June 6. The members of the Auto Workers Association affiliated to the CITU, AITUC, Dr. Ambedkar Auto Sangam and the Autorickshaw wing of the Tamil Maanila Congress today went on a strike condemning the ``unfair hike in prices of petrol and diesel''.

S. Thangam, General Secretary of the Auto Workers Association said that the strike was a major success. Though there were other general demands on issues of subsidised petrol, fixation of a minimum fare of Rs. 10 with an addition of Rs. 5 kilometre, the strike today focussed only on the issue of price hike and submitted a memorandum to the Union Minister for Petroleum, through the Indian Oil Corporation.

Autodrivers said that while call taxis started their business with just a tourist permit, but operated on a fare not approved by the Transport Department, using LPG cylinders for fuel, not yet approved by the Department of Explosives, they were now operating like ordinary taxis also, he said. The increasing share-autos were also not plying according to rules, taking in more than 12 persons when the permitted number was just five, he said.

C. Lakshmi Narain, President, Madras Auto Passengers Association (MAPA), said that the increase in prices of diesel and petrol was a national necessity and this ``did not give any right for the demand of auto drivers in the city and elsewhere for increase in auto fares''. The increase in price is ``only Rs. 2.56 from Rs. 28.49 to Rs. 31.05 and one litre petrol is enough for driving a distance of 30 kilometres''. The increase amounted to 8.5 paise per kilometre, he said.

The MAPA said the ``Government should not yield to the demands of auto drivers for increase in auto fares until all the autos fixed electronic metres and stick to the rates fixed by the Government''.

While Mr. Lakshmi Narain had filed a petition, which was followed by an injunction against the hike in minimum fares of autorickshaws, an autodriver K. Sampath Kumar who plied his vehicle despite the strike call, said that the Government was using the court order as an excuse not to hike the fares. ``While the price of petrol has been rising from Rs. 20 in 1996 to Rs. 31.05 this year, the price of kerosene supplied by the PDS has gone up and the price of an autorickshaw has increased from Rs. 47,000 to Rs. 1.3 lakh today, how can we survive with the present fares, especially when the increased number of autos, share-autos and call taxis are competing?'', he asked.

The Tamil Nadu Road Transport Workers HMS Federation has urged the Centre to withdraw the price hike and if that was not possible, the State Government should give subsidy in tune with the hike in diesel prices and protect the Transport Corporations.

The present hike would result in a daily loss of Rs. 24 lakhs and a monthly loss of Rs. 720 lakhs for the Transport Corporations.

The Goodwill Auto Drivers Union has appealed to the Government to urge the Centre to bring down the prices of petrol and diesel or supply petrol and diesel at a subsidy for autorickshaws considering it a public service.

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