BJP activists staged a demonstration and picketed the transport department’s office demanding that the administration take steps to announce new auto fares at the earliest.
Following the agitation led by BJP state unit secretary, R V Saminathan, the Transport commissioner S D Sundaresan spoke to the agitators and informed them that the fixing of auto fares was taken up with the government and the process was on. Following this assurance, the BJP activists dispersed.
Saminathan later told Express that the auto fares were announced in 2009 but they were never implemented it firmly. He claimed that the auto drivers were fleecing the passengers and even collecting `100 per kilometre from tourists as the administration failed to fix the final auto fares.
He also demanded the department take steps to stop the mushrooming of unauthorised auto stands.