Maharashtra: Auto drivers warn of strike over fare hike

MUMBAI: The autorickshaw unions had a meeting here on Sunday, and have threatened an indefinite strike that could cripple the road lifeline of the city and rest of Maharashtra.
"More than 10 lakh auto drivers across the state, including two lakh in Mumbai alone, will go on indefinite strike from July 9 if our demands are not fulfilled," warned Mumbai Autorickshawmen's Union leader Shashank Rao. He, along with several other union leaders, have given the state government till June 30 to meet their demands, after which they will gear up for the strike.
Rao said that their demands include a fare hike of Rs 4 per km as drivers had not got any increment in fares for more than three years, and that the minimum fare be raised to Rs 24 from Rs 18. He also said that their demands included the implementation of welfare schemes for drivers, such as medical, insurance and pension.
Some auto drivers from Pune and Vidarbha who attended Sunday's meeting, opposed to the operations of Ola and Uber. According to them, the cabs are not regulated by the state and must be brought under the City Taxi scheme. Till that is done, they should be off the roads, they added. Rao supported this by saying that this was one of their key demands.