Hyderabad: Autos, cabs, lorries go off roads in protest against fitness penalty

Hyderabad: Auto-rickshaws, cabs and lorries drivers went off the roads in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana on Thursday in response to a day-long bandh call given by various unions in support of their demands.

The Joint Action Committees (JACs) of owners and drivers of cabs, auto-rickshaw and lorry have called for the protest against the arbitrary hike in taxes and penalties. They demanded the government to immediately withdraw the daily fine of Rs 50 for not renewing fitness certificates.

B Venkatesam, JAC convener of Telangana State auto, cab and lorry unions, R Mallesh (AITUC), A Satti Reddy (TADS), Vemula Marayya (TRSKV), G Mallesh Gowd (INTUC), Md Amanullah Khan (TAD JAC), Kiran (IFTU), Srikanth (CITU), Cab JAC leaders Rajasekhar Reddy, Salahuddin, Satish, Raju Gowd led the protest.

The unions also gave a call for laying siege to the Road Transport Authority office (RTA) at Khairatabad. Vehicle owners and drivers said increasing prices of diesel, petrol and gas had already imposed a heavy burden on them and the steep hike in green, life and road taxes and fitness penalties has come as another blow.

Cabbies are demanding the implementation of the motor vehicle aggregator guidelines 2020. Auto drivers and cabs are also seeking revision of meter fare in view of the hike in fuel prices.

As per the Motor Vehicles Act 2019, transport authorities had revised the taxes and penalties last month. They demanded immediate repeal of Rs 50 fines and said that auto workers were suffering.

Union leaders said owners are not taking the vehicles as they fear of their vehicles being seized by the authorities for not renewing the fitness certificates. They said the certificates could not be renewed during Covid-19 pandemic and now they are not in a position to pay a heavy penalty.

Leaders said that the State government should respond immediately to their demands and demanded an increase in the minimum fare from Rs 20 to Rs 40 and Rs 11 to Rs 25 for a kilometer in view of the ever-increasing fuel prices.

They demanded the issue of new auto permits to the unemployed and marginalised sections of the city to cater to the growing population for employment. B Venkatesam also demanded reduction of unaffordable insurance prices, bringing all auto, trolley, cab, lorry and private bus workers under one umbrella and setting up a special board for their welfare.