Be ready to either join the crowd in buses or walk as getting an autorickshaw is likely to be an arduous task on Monday.
Be ready to either join the crowd in buses or walk as getting an autorickshaw is likely to be an arduous task on Monday.
Thousands of autorickshaw drivers will march to the state transport commissioner's office at Bandra in the morning to press for the union's demands, including introducing share auto services for short distances to solve the problem of tampered meters.
The rally will culminate in mass fasting of autorickshaw drivers from 11am to 5pm.
Shashank Rao of the Mumbai Autorickshawmen's Union said there could be a slight impact on the numbers of autos on roads as he expects a "minimum of 5,000" autorickshaw drivers to turn up for the rally.
"But commuters should not be inconvenienced as we have not given a strike call. Only those drivers who participate in the rally will be off the roads," said Rao.
However, the possibility of small incidents of violence in parts of western suburbs cannot be ruled out as the drivers supporting the union may force others to go off roads.
Another problem for road commuters could be the additional traffic when autorickshaws will rally towards the Transport Commissioner's office near the congested Kherwadi Junction at Bandra.
Rao said the rally is being held to convey the anger of the drivers for "being victimised and stigmatised."
On September 16, Andheri RTO cracked down on autorickshaw drivers for tampering with the meters. It punished 97 autorickshaw drivers.
"Many demands of the community are pending and instead of addressing them, the government is undertaking drives because of the offences committed by a small section of drivers,” said Rao.
After the 12-hour drive by the Andheri RTO, inspections are being carried out in the eastern and western suburbs by the Wadala and Tardeo RTOs. More cases of meter tampering and fare refusals have been registered and this has angered the unions.
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