The struggle between two auto-rickshaw unions in the city to claim credit for an effective protest seems to have averted extra trouble for commuters, on two consecutive days-Monday and Tuesday.
The struggle between two auto-rickshaw unions in the city to claim credit for an effective protest seems to have averted extra trouble for commuters, on two consecutive days-Monday and Tuesday.
In what can be seen as a reaction to rival unionist Thampy Kurien’s rally to the transport commissioner VN More’s office in Bandra on Monday, a rally by the Sharad Rao-led union earlier scheduled on April 10 has now been postponed to April 16, the first day of the union’s state-wide strike.
At a rally of rickshaw drivers earlier on April 4, union leader Sharad Rao of the Mumbai Autorickshawmen’s Union had said, “We are firm on our decision of going ahead with a state-wide strike on April 16. All the auto-rickshaws across the state will be off the road till the government gives in to our demands. A morcha of drivers to the transport commissioner’s office will also be taken out on April 10.”
Rao scion Shashank Rao, though, had clarified that the rally to the transport commissioner was not intended as a strike. “Only those drivers participating in the rally will not be driving.”
On Monday, Shashank Rao said the decision to withdraw the rally has nothing to do with Thampy Kurien’s rally. “As the rally was planned for the demand of giving permits to drivers with badges, we decided to club it with the others for which we will take out a rally on the first day of the state-wide protest,” he claimed.
Thampy Kurien’s rally witnessed the turn out of a few hundred drivers. On his part, Kurien said, “There were at least 1,000 drivers. The drivers made their demands forcefully and we conveyed them to the Transport Commissioner who was positive about them.” He, however, laughed off Sharad Rao’s decision and refused to comment on it.
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