City buses were packed to the capacity as Bhubaneswar Autorickshaw Mahasangha went on a strike on Tuesday demanding increase in auto fares in view of the recent diesel price hike.
The Mahasangha also demanded a rollback on the cap on subsidised domestic LPG cylinders.
The members of the Mahasangha took out a rally before holding a meeting with the officials of the Transport department.
“We deliberated on transport policies which are successfully implemented in many States. We do not have any such policy in our State for the benefit of autorickshaw drivers, such as provident fund or retirement benefits” Bhubaneswar Autorickshaw Mahasangha general secretary Padman Kumar Samal said.
According to the members of the Mahasangha, the Transport department officials have assured them that they will look into their demands after Durga Puja.
“The technical committee of the Transport department will be discussing our demands presented after the Puja celebrations. Till then, we have to wait,” Samal said.
In a memorandum submitted by the Mahasangha, they have pointed out lack of parking lots for autorickshaws. They alleged that the traffic police often penalise them for unauthorised parking. They also pointed out the urgent need for an official fare chart for autorickshaws. The Mahasangha suggested that there should be a fare chart like the ones used in metros for maintaining uniformity in fares.
The daily commuters had to face a harrowing time due to the auto strike.