Pics: Meryick D' Silva
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (DV)
Mangaluru, Jan 27: The Fedaration of Karnataka Auto Rickshaw Drivers' Union under the banner of CITU on Tuesday January 27 organized a protest demanding a review of the auto rickshaw fares that were recently reduced by the deputy commissioner.
As per the order issued by DC A B Ibrahim earlier this month, the minimum auto fare was reduced to Rs 20 from Rs 25. Though the new prices were supposed to come into effect from January 12, auto drivers have refused to follow the order and have been charging Rs 25 as before. A meeting convened by the DC to discuss the issue also yielded no positive result.
Addressing the protest held in front of the DC's office on Tuesday, Balakrishna Shetty, district president of CITU, said, "Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner suddenly reduced the auto rickshaw fare from Rs 25 to Rs 20. It is not correct. Auto drivers serve the people for more than 14 hours a day and the public should realize and acknowledge the hard work put in by the auto drivers.
"Even to this day no government has formed a welfare commission for auto drivers. They have no social security. Though the rickshaw drivers help people in their hard times and save lives, there is no protection for auto driver's life," he added.
"Though prices of petroleum products have reduced, those of day-to-day commodities have not. Spare parts of auto rickshaws are priced high. Hence the deputy commissioner should review the reduced auto rickshaw fare," he urged.
L T Suvarna warned of intensifying the protest in the coming day if the demands of auto drivers are not met.
On this occasion Sunil Kumar Bajjal, Krishnappa Gowda and others were present.
An auto rickshaw drivers' association has called for a strike from midnight of January 27 to midnight of Wednesday January 28.