Seeking more time for applying for calibration of fare meters and withdrawal of the Deputy Commissioner’s order on imposing restrictions on the number of school children per trip for autorickshaws, maxicabs and vans, auto rickshaw drivers and others took out a protest march in Hubballi on Saturday.
The protest was carried out under the aegis of Hubballi Autorickshaw Owners and Drivers Association and Tata Magic and Van Drivers Association. The protest march began from Laxmi Complex close to Kittur Chennamma Circle and after passing through the thoroughfares reached the mini Vidhana Soudha where the office of the Hubballi Tahsildar is located.
The protesters raised slogans the failure of the officials to facilitate calibration of the fare meters and against what they termed as the unilateral decision on imposing restrictions on the number of schoolchildren per trip.
Leading the protest President of the Autorickshaw Owners and Drivers Association Shekharaiah Mathapati, General Secretary Pundalik Badiger and others complained that the time given for accepting applications for calibration of the fare meters was inadequate and steps should be taken to accept the applications at the Department of Weights and Measures and Legal Metrology from now onwards to help the auto rickshaw drivers.
They said that while the association had agreed to the minimum fare of Rs. 23 and Rs. 13 per kilometre, what was required now was making more technicians available for repair of fare meters. Renewing the permits should be done through a camp and steps should also be taken to check the menace of middlemen in the office of the Regional Transport Office.
They termed the restrictions on the number of schoolchildren unilateral and complained that it would be difficult for them to ferry the schoolchildren at the same rates after reducing the numbers. They demanded withdrawal of the order on the same by the Deputy Commissioner.
The protestors, after staging a sit-in at the mini Vidhana Soudha, submitted two separate memoranda, one addressed to the Regional Transport Officer and another to the Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad, through the Hubballi Tahsildar H.D. Nagavi.
