Telangana transport minister appeals to autorickshaw drivers to withdraw strike call

Hyderabad, Aug 23 (AHN) With autorickshaw drivers across Telangana set to go on an indefinite strike from Sunday midnight, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar Goud appealed to them to withdraw the strike.

The minister assured them that the government will resolve issues of auto workers, including the demand to increase auto fares.

“Problems cannot be solved through strikes. The government is ready to show solutions to problems through discussions,” he said.

He told media persons in Siddipet district that the government was establishing a welfare board for auto workers.

The minister said the government was also introducing a new scheme to provide financial assistance of Rs 1.50 lakh for retrofitting diesel and petrol autos.

The minister noted that autorickshaw fares have not been increased since 2015. “Taking into account the rising prices of petrol and diesel, vehicle cost, and maintenance expenses, we will set up a special committee to review the auto fares. The committee will include representatives of auto workers, transport department officials, and relevant stakeholders, and will comprehensively discuss all issues to arrive at a fair decision,” he said.

Ponnam Prabhakar said the government was committed to establishing a welfare board for the welfare of auto workers. The Cabinet has taken a decision in this regard. He said the government would formulate the necessary rules and establish the board.

He assured the autorickshaw drivers that in addition to reducing pollution in Hyderabad, the government will provide incentives for retrofitting petrol, diesel, and gas autos into electric autos to ease the financial burden on auto workers. The cabinet has decided to provide government assistance of up to Rs 1.50 lakh per auto for switching to an electric auto.

The government will also support those who scrap old autos and purchase new electric autos. The government's goal is to promote electric autos in phases in place of petrol, diesel, and gas autos in Hyderabad, he said.

The transport minister said the government will also consider the issues of auto workers in rural areas. Keeping their financial situation in mind, the government is examining what kind of policy can provide them greater benefits. “We will take steps to ensure that auto workers also benefit from the welfare programmes being implemented by the government. The government will work to extend benefits to eligible families of auto workers in welfare programmes such as ration cards, free electricity, free bus travel, and others,” he said.

The minister gave the assurance that as the issues of Road Transport Corporation (RTC) employees were resolved, the government will also resolve the legitimate issues of auto workers.