Bringing cheers to thousands of train commuters arriving at Ernakulam Junction (South) railway station, an end seems to be in sight to the ongoing conflict between autorickshaw operators operating out of the prepaid counter at the station and Railway authorities over the introduction of the Cart Licence Fee (CLF) system.
While the operators agreed to take licence under the system, the Railway has allowed an additional week for their compliance.
Under CLF, autorickshaw and taxi operators who wish to operate from the prepaid counter at railway stations are required to take parking licence at a sum of ₹1,475 for a period of six months, after which it will have to be renewed. While applying for the licence, the owners, should also submit documents such as biodata of driver, vehicle details and police clearance certificate.
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The situation was edging towards a standoff after only 132 out of a total of nearly 400 operators chose to take the licence by the initial deadline of June 18. Even they had allegedly stayed away from the station since then.
The breakthrough came during yet another round of talks held on Tuesday, in which autorickshaw operators agreed to take the licence following which Railway extended the deadline. R. Harikrishnan, Ernakulam Area Manager of Southern Railways, was appreciative of the initiative taken by the traffic police to resolve the stalemate.
However, autorickshaw drivers complained that the licence fee of ₹1,475 for six months was a bit on the higher side. The Railway has agreed to look into the grievance and write to the divisional railway manager about a possible reduction in the fee once the operators took the licence.
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The introduction of CFL last month was met with stiff resistance from workers and unions, and had led to the arrest of 10 drivers on charge of disrupting services.