Autorickshaw union leader Sharad Rao on Tuesday called on all auto drivers in the state to go on an indefinite strike from April 16, and said that they will not promote violence but will retaliate when attacked.
“We will not sponsor violence on our own but will retaliate when attacked. While BEST bus drivers are now drawing a salary of `25,000 per month, the auto drivers are dying a slow death because of chief minister Prithviraj Chavan who is also a cabinet minister for transport,” Mr Rao said.
The union wants an interim increase from `11 to `16 for the base fare and from `7 to `9 for the subsequent kilometre.
Mr Rao criticised the move of making e-meters compulsory and added a fresh demand of a replacement policy. “If at all any form of meter is sent for repairing, the state should arrange immediate replacement of meter till the repair work is completed. An auto driver cannot afford to stop his work just because his meter is sent for repair,” Mr Rao said.
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UNDERGROUND METRO TO BE TOP AGENDA AT MEET
AGE CORRESPONDENT
Mumbai, April 10
The MMRDA will hold the public hearing for the underground Metro Rail between Colaba-Bandra-Seepz on Wednesday.
The debate is expected to be a heated one, with residents of the western suburbs long demanding an underground Metro system, instead of the proposed elevated plan.
“We wish to combine line three — Colaba-Bandra-Seepz — with Metro line two i.e. Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd. We want a fully-underground solution,” said Sherley Singh, member of Save Our Suburbs, the organisation campaigning for an underground Metro.
The residents of western suburbs have been campaigning for the underground system for the last four years. An MMRDA official said, “It is a public hearing and people are supposed to voice their concerns. Once we note down their viewpoints, we will consider what changes can be made.”