Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 11, 2007
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Thursday, Jan 11, 2007 ePaper |
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Tamil Nadu
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Chennai
City Bureau
CHENNAI : The first autorickshaw fare revision in over a decade has left auto drivers and residents of Chennai stirred but for different reasons. While auto driver associations have been quick to condemn the new fares as unfair and inadequate, representatives of residents welfare association and Madras Auto Passengers Association feel that the real test for the Government would be enforcing the new rates. The new rates announced by the Government — a minimum fare of Rs.14 for the first two km and Rs.6 for every additional km — fall short of the demand by auto drivers unions. They had demanded a minimum of Rs. 15 for first two km and Rs.7 for every additional km. S. Thangam, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Auto Drivers' Federation, said that the new rates were unacceptable. He charged that the auto drivers' unions had not been consulted and it had been an arbitrary decision by the Government. The discussion on new fares remained inconclusive during their previous meeting with transport officials, he claimed. "They promised to hold another meeting before the announcement. But we were not consulted again." On the other hand, V.Narayanan, president of Indian National Organisation for Developmental Action (INODA), welcomed the fare hike as "fair price" and said that the Government must enforce it stringently to avoid demand of exorbitant amount by auto drivers.
Too good to be true?
A section of residents' welfare association representatives felt that the new fare was good for the residents. Almost too good to be true in a scenario where auto drivers charge a minimum fare of Rs.20 even for a one-km drop and most vehicles in the city do not have tamper-proof electronic meters. S. Kumararaja, secretary, Federation of Velachery Welfare Associations, said the only way the new fares could be implemented would be stringent monitoring by authorities. C. Lakshmi Narain of Madras Auto Passengers Association asserted that the Government should postpone the revision till all autorickshaws in the city were fitted with tamper-proof electronic meters and calibrated to the new rates. S. Rajendran, an autorickshaw driver in Velachery, said he was used to charging a "nominal" Rs.130 for a 16-km drop to the Central Railway Station. He wondered how the current fare could be viable as the fare was likely to drop below Rs.100.
Will haggling end?
Residents now expect autorickshaw drivers to stop haggling once the fare revision takes effect. The city's commuters have suffered from quarrels with drivers over the fares and they now hoped for a situation, as in Mumbai where drivers strictly collect only Government-specified fare.
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