The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Autorickshaw drivers withdraw protest plan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 12, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Autorickshaw drivers withdraw protest plan

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: The Joint Committee of Autorickshaw Drivers' Association has withdrawn its protest planned on Monday.

Speaking to presspersons here on Saturday, B.S. Narayana Murthy, general secretary of Adarsha Auto and Taxi Drivers' Union, said that representatives of all the autorickshaw drivers' associations met Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M.N. Reddy on Friday and explained to him their grievances. He said that Mr. Reddy promised to look into their demands. He said that the associations had sought one-month's time to urge autorickshaw drivers not to refuse passengers and comply with the law.

Mohammed Abbas, chairman, Karnataka State Auto Drivers' Welfare Joint Action Committee, said they wanted to stage a protest owing to what he called the increasing police atrocities and cancellation of permits under false pretexts. "The police used to book permit violation cases against the autorickshaw drivers for refusing passengers and fine them over Rs. 2,500, which was almost a month's wage for poor drivers. Also, they used to confiscate the vehicles and would not let drivers take their vehicles until they produced the payment receipt," said A.S.T. Arasu, president of Self-Employed Auto Drivers' Association.

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