HYDERABAD: The state government is exploring the possibility of launching its own app-based auto service on the lines of Ola, Uber and Rapido, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said on Monday, even as auto unions warned of renewed protests over their long-pending demands.
Prabhakar said the Transport department had already written to the IT department on the proposal. The announcement came during a meeting with representatives of auto workers’ unions at the Secretariat, attended by Labour Minister Gaddam Vivek Venkataswamy and senior officials.
The meeting reviewed the action taken on issues discussed at an earlier meeting on August 23. However, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of auto and app-based transport workers termed the meeting inconclusive and warned of a statewide agitation if the government failed to act on their demands.
During the meeting, Prabhakar said the government was in favour of increasing auto fares. The JAC has demanded a minimum fare of `50 and `20 per kilometre. The minister said the government would discuss the demand with officials before taking a decision and issuing a GO.
On the proposed Auto Workers’ Welfare Board, Vivek said the matter would be discussed in the Cabinet and steps would be taken to introduce a Bill in the Assembly.
The government also clarified that there were no plans to introduce electric autos through TGSRTC as part of a last-mile connectivity policy. Reports to this effect were “false propaganda”, Prabhakar said.
The government said it would also examine pending and rejected auto permits, including those rejected under GO MS No. 263 and permits that have expired.
On the aggregator policy, Prabhakar said a committee of transport officials would be constituted to study the policy and examine issues raised by auto unions, including the use of white-plate vehicles by aggregators. The department would also enforce restrictions on autos from other districts operating in Hyderabad, he said.
The government will write to the Centre seeking clarity on auto-rickshaw driving licence requirements on the Sarathi portal. Prabhakar said changes might be required in the rules governing the use of LMV licences for driving autos.
The government also agreed to examine the demand for a special insurance policy covering auto drivers against accidental and natural deaths. Prabhakar said work was under way on an insurance scheme, including the proposed Indiramma policy, to provide financial security to different sections.
However, JAC leaders Ravi Shankar and Arla Satti Reddy alleged that the government had earlier promised to issue a GO and frame guidelines for the welfare board but had not even held discussions on its modalities. They also expressed dissatisfaction at not being allowed to submit a representation during Monday’s meeting.
The JAC leaders said their demands had been pending for around two-and-a-half years and warned that the cab workers’ JAC would soon meet to decide on a statewide agitation.
