Ahmedabad: 60K autos to stay off road in protest of CNG price hike

For all those travelling by autorickshaw, it would not be a bad idea to make your own arrangements for the day. Close to 60,000 autos in the city will remain off roads on Thursday to protest the hike in CNG price. 

Ahmedabad Auto Rickshaw Chalak Sangharsh Samiti and other associations have called for a one-day symbolic strike, commencing from Wednesday midnight, in protest of the recent Rs2 per kg hike in price. They are demanding that the hike be either rolled back or they be allowed to run their vehicles on petrol.

Office-bearers of different autorickshaw drivers’ unions had held a meeting on Saturday at Usmanpura garden to take a call on this issue. They had earlier decided to go on strike on Monday, but later postponed it to Thursday.

CNG prices have been hiked 33 times in last two years. At present, it costs Rs65.80 per kg, a steep rise from Rs35.24 per kg in February 2011.

Although fuel prices depend on the international market, higher value-added tax (VAT) levied by the state government has made CNG unaffordable for the auto drivers.

“Driving autorickshaw for a living is not a viable option now because of ever-increasing CNG prices. The government should allow us to run our rickshaws on petrol,” said Harihar Mishra, president of the samiti.

He said that petrol-run autorickshaws cost much less compared to autos using CNG. Moreover, the maintenance cost is also lower in petrol-run rickshaws, he said. Though Mishra claimed support of 13 autorickshaw associations in the city, some like Ahmedabad Airport Autorickshaw Drivers’ Association are not in favour of strike.

“It is difficult to make both ends meet because of the price rise. A strike is not a viable option,” said an autorickshaw driver.