Resolve issues or Bandh on April 30: Telangana auto drivers warn govt

Hyderabad: Telangana Auto Drivers’ JAC convenor Mohammed Amanullah Khan on Thursday demanded that the state government solve auto drivers’ problems and difficulties, including an increase in auto fares before the inauguration of the new secretariat building fixed on April 30.

“Otherwise, the auto drivers in the Twin Cities would observe a one-day ‘Auto Bandh’ on the day and plan to gherao the building and prevent its inauguration,” they said.

Amanullah Khan announced that the auto drivers in the twin cities would gherao the state secretariat’s new building from 5 am on April 30 and will block all side roads and ultimately prevent the inauguration of the building.

He urged chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to ‘set his own house on order’ first before stepping into national politics. He wondered how the chief minister would go ahead and inaugurate the new secretariat building which was built with the money of poor people by ‘crushing’ them economically without settling the auto drivers’ pending demands.

The auto drivers pending demands are an increase in Auto meter charges on par with the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and every auto should be provided Rs 10,000 towards payment of annual insurance certificate charges and other expenses, a ban on bikes and Taxis like in Delhi, ban on registration of new electric autos and instead conversion of all existing autos into electric autos plying in GHMC area with the govt.

“The subsidy, new auto permits should be issued without restriction just like the new permits are issued to Ola, Uber and other cabs without restriction as this would stop black marketing of new autos business going on in twin cities non-stop automatically. Issue necessary guidelines to stop the private auto financiers ever-rising harassment and stoppage of corruption and harassment going on in the transport and police departments,” the JAC demanded.