Autorickshaw strike total in Mangaluru

January 28, 2015 01:58 pm | Updated 01:58 pm IST - MANGALURU

The 24-hour autorickshaw strike from Tuesday midnight in Mangaluru was called to protest the fare reduction by the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) was total with all three-wheelers remaining off the roads.

Passengers, who came to the city early in the morning by trains and buses were caught unawares and had to struggle to reach their destinations. While some managed to get taxis, others made it by buses and vehicles of friends/relatives and many were forced to walk an extra mile. The situation was worse at Mangaluru Junction Railway Station where autorickshaw is the sole mode of public transport.

Michael D’Souza, a leader of an Autorickshaw Drivers’ Union who was present at the protest meeting at the Mangaluru Central Railway Station said that if the RTA does not withdraw its fare revision order, the Unions would go ahead with the strike. While increasing the fares in December 2012, the RTA waited for over two months after the demand was made and enhanced the fares following fare revision in Bengaluru, he said.

Similarly, the RTA should have waited for fare reduction in Bengaluru to take similar steps here, he said. Except reduction in fuel cost, prices of no other inputs, including oil, spare parts etc., have not come down. The cost of living too remains high, Mr. D’Souza lamented

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.