VIJAYAWADA: Auto rickshaws and all other transport vehicles are going on a one-day strike on Tuesday to oppose Central government gazette 894 in which charges for license, registration and fee for all types of challans have been increased.
With regard to auto rickshaws, the new gazette mentions eight years imprisonment for auto drivers if they are observed guilty in road accidents. Also, allowing traffic and transport departments to impose huge penalties if they deviate from rules.
Demanding the cancellation of this gazette, Auto Rickshaw Workers Union Joint Action Committee (AWUJAC), Krishna District Lorry Owners Association (KDLOA) and all other trade unions announced one-day strike here on Tuesday.
Around 10,000 auto rickshaws out of 13,000 in and around Vijayawada will be participating in the strike. Around 400 heavy vehicles and 600 mini vans will be on strike hence loading and unloading activity will be halted on Tuesday.
The AWUJAC secretary Donepudi Shankar is severely opposing the gazette and said that allowing eight years imprisonment and imposing heavy penalties is not acceptable. According to Shankar, in road accidents not all auto drivers will be observed as guilty. According to the city traffic police, auto rickshaws are observed as main cause for road accidents in and around Vijayawada. The autos may not be directly involved in road accidents but, they are instrumental in causing accidents because of their driving style.
Since 2014 to 2016, around 454 cases have been booked against auto rickshaws involved in road accidents. Around 48 cases have been registered where autos have resulted in deaths. Around 7,000 auto drivers were found operating auto rickshaws sans license.
Officials from city traffic police and transport departments are conducting constant awareness programmes for safe and proper driving and LLR melas to provide licenses to the drivers.
However, auto drivers are expressing that their life will become difficult if government does not consider cancelling the new gazette as it is imposing heavy penalties on people who are dependent on transport field. “I use to earn Rs 700 to Rs 1,000 every day. I need to pay rent of Rs 500 to my auto owner. Beyond that, I have to pay several penalties to traffic and transport departments. We are very vulnerable for cases that are being registered by the government officials,” S V Krishna Kumar, an auto driver in the city told Express.
Deputy Transport Commissioner for Krishna district, E Meera Prasad said the gazette has been made by Government of India. “The state government is just implementing it and appealed to the strikers not to inconvenience the public.”