Chaos prevails over plying of autos from districts
HYDERABAD: The dispute over who’s eligible to run autorickshaws in the city continued on Tuesday, with drivers of the autos registered outside the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits not ready to give up.
Within a week of the Hyderabad City Traffic Police warning the ‘autos from other districts’ against plying on city roads, the struggle for livelihood took a new shape. The autorickshaw drivers’ unions, who are trying to find a resolution, blamed the pandemonium on the present government regulations.
In the city limits, there are 1.2 lakh autorickshaws running on CNG or LPG, and 40,000 diesel ones, while there are around 5,000 autorickshaws (CNG and LPG), which are registered outside the GHMC limits (other than TS 9 - TS 13).
“Those registered in the city don’t have a problem with diesel auto drivers as they are not allowed to operate within the city and operate in the outskirts. However, CNG/LPG autos registered in the districts have posed a challenge to local autos. The argument is that tougher norms in the city means that owning an autorickshaw costs Rs 3.7 lakh, however in the neighbouring districts, it costs only around Rs 2.2 lakh. Hence, those registered within the city are not ready to accept it. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too,” said Telangana AITUC general secretary B Venkatesham.
New autos in city cost as much as an entry-level car
Following the warning from traffic police, the cops started initiating action like the seizing of vehicles. A protest was carried out near the RTA Head Office in Khairatabad on Monday. The drivers are keeping all options open and are likely to challenge the decision of the traffic police in the court soon.
To resolve the issue, unions have decided to hold a meeting on Wednesday in Hyderabad. Auto unions have blamed the financiers and government for the present fiasco, even as buying a new auto in the city has turned dearer.
“Since you cannot buy a new autorickshaw unless an old auto is turned into a scrap, it costs an additional Rs 1.5 lakh in the city, as per regulations. So those providing with scrapped vehicles are charging hefty amounts and after all the proceedings it costs almost as much as a brand new car. Since it is a matter of pollution control, the authorities should relax norms and at least permit new CNG autos without the need for the scrapping of an old one. Even financiers are to be blamed as they are involved in the dealing of these vehicles across the State,” said another union leader.