Auto drivers go on sudden strike in Palghar district

Mumbai: Auto drivers went on a sudden strike in Palghar district Wednesday leaving thousands of people stranded in the morning peak hours and through the day

Mumbai: Auto drivers went on a sudden strike in Palghar district Wednesday leaving thousands of people stranded in the morning peak hours and through the day. The auto drivers were protesting the penalty of ₹50 levied by the RTO for non-recalibration of e-meters beyond the January 15 deadline. They are also demanding another fare hike.

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Majority of auto rickshaws in Palghar district ply on share basis and most of these auto permit holders and drivers have not recalibrated the e-meters despite the deadline being January 15. And they are not happy about the daily fine of ₹50 imposed on them. The auto rickshaw drivers are also demanding further fare hike, though commuters claim that they charge ₹30-40 per seat for barely 2-3 kms and also ferry more passengers than allowed.

On Wednesday, the people staying in Vasai, Virar, Nalasopara and other parts of Palghar district, were badly affected as the autos, both regular and on shared-ones weren’t plying. The scene was chaotic outside the railway stations where passengers came out only to not find any auto rickshaw.

The buses, operated by the local civic transport body, soon got crowded as they were few in number and inadequate to meet the surge in demand. “I had to wait outside the Vasai station trying to enter bus for more than 30-40 minutes. I could not reach office on time. The autos weren’t available at all,” said Shakti Singh, who works in Vasai and had reached the station at around 8.30am.

People were angry as the auto drivers held them at ‘ransom’ to meet their demands. There are more than 4.60 lakh auto rickshaws in Mumbai’s metropolitan region in which Palghar is one of the districts. Of these 2.20 lakh rickshaws are registered only in Mumbai.

“I had to attend a ritual as a part of remembrance ceremony along with my family. Owing to this strike today, I was forced to book a tourist taxi for which I paid ₹1,000 for a short distance,” said Shantaram Naik, resident of Virar.

There were many, who took their two wheelers till the railway station as an alternative to rickshaws, but were finding it difficult to get a parking space.