The man who will draw up the new fare formula

On April 13, the transport department appointed him as the one-man panel to decide the formula for taxi and auto fare. After he accepted the proposal, the transport department asked him the amount that he would charge for the work. Surprisingly, he didn't quote any amount.

For the next three months, former joint union secretary PMA Hakim will be busy developing a new formula for taxi and auto fare.

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On April 13, the transport department appointed him as the one-man panel to decide the formula for taxi and auto fare. After he accepted the proposal, the transport department asked him the amount that he would charge for the work. Surprisingly, he didn't quote any amount.

Hakim, who was on the state government's committee for reviewing the sixth pay commission, has insisted that he will complete the task without charging any remuneration, except for the travel expenses from his house in Kerala. However, the government wants to pay him an honorarium.

Usually, the committee members' fees spiral into lakhs, along with the additional charges for their business class travel and five-star accommodation.

"People ask for remuneration that runs into lakhs of rupees for working on such committees. Not only did he refuse to quote any price, but he has also expressed his willingness to accept whatever the government wished to pay him. Since he lives in Kerala, he has just asked for economy class air fare," said a senior transport official.

While this is Hakim's first outing with the auto trade committee, he has headed a taxi committee once in the past. Apart from the fare revision formula and related parameters, the committee will give its recommendations on metric system. The report will be submitted in three months.

The taxi trade committee formed under Hakim's chairmanship, when he was the transport secretary of the state, had submitted its report in 1996. The same formula has been used for calculating taxi and auto fare since then. The latest auto fare hike, too, was calculated using the Hakim committee's formula.

While Mumbai Taximen's union has welcomed the new committee headed by Hakim, union leader Sharad Rao is unhappy as he believes that Hakim is anti-labour.

IAS officer Hakim has worked on several important posts and committees, most recent being the sixth pay commission review committee. Most of the recommendations made by the committee were accepted by the government and the employee unions too didn't have a reason to complain.