Karnataka - Belgaum   

It’s unfair, say autorickshaw drivers

AUTO RALLY: Autorickshaw drivers staging a protest near the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Belgaum on Tuesday demanding more time to fix fare meters.

Belgaum: The autorickshaw drivers staged a protest in the Deputy Commissioner’s office premises disrupting vehicular traffic here on Tuesday.

The drivers were demanding at least three months time to fix fare meters to their autorickshaws. The Regional Transport Authority has made fare meters compulsory for all autorickshaws from Monday. Although the autorickshaw owners and drivers had not opposed the decision on introduction of fare meters taken at a meeting held on November 27, they had been expressing doubts over the success of the new fare system. So were the people who had found that the fares, particularly pre-paid fares, were much high which many could not afford to pay.

The autorickshaw owners and drivers, who drove to the Deputy Commissioner’s office from various parts of the city, said they needed at least three more months to fix fare meters and take up repairs of those already fixed with the vehicle. This was in sharp contrast to their statements that they were ready to abide by the order and that meters were already fixed with almost every autorickshaw.

However, submitting a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, they said since there was only one technician to install fare meters and for their repairs in the entire city, it would not be possible for many autorickshaw drivers or owners to implement the order on fare meters all of a sudden. In fact, the district administration had given two weeks to fix or get their fare meters repairs so as to implement the order from December 10.

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