Chennai, Sept 11:
A federation of auto-rickshaw trade unions has announced a rally in Chennai on September 19, demanding that the Tamil Nadu Government immediately announce revised fares for autorickshaws and ban bike-taxi services.
Federation coordinator Balasubramanian said a tripartite meeting on autorickshaw fares was held in Chennai on July 9, with representatives of trade unions and passengers taking part in discussions on revising the existing fare structure. He said the government had also prepared a final report based on the discussions.
The federation has opposed the governmentās decision to constitute a new committee to look into the revision of autorickshaw fares. Balasubramanian said there was no need for another committee since discussions had already been held and urged the government to announce the revised meter fares without further delay.
He also said the federation would organise a rally to the Fort on September 19 to press for a ban on bike-taxi services. Representatives and workers belonging to nine trade unions are expected to participate in the rally.
According to the federation, Tamil Nadu has around 3.46 lakh autorickshaws. The unions have been seeking a fare revision for some time, citing the need to update the existing fare structure.