CHENNAI: Auto-rickshaw, call taxi and tourist cab drivers under the banner of the Tamil Nadu Auto, Call Taxi and Tourist Cab Drivers Federation observed a one-day strike in the city on February 11 (Tuesday), pressing for a revision of fares and other demands.
As part of the protest, more than 700 drivers staged a sit-in outside the office of the Transport Commissioner at Guindy. Later, hundreds of drivers blocked traffic by sitting on both sides of the GST Road near the Guindy bridge, disrupting vehicular movement.
The police detained the protesters and took them to a hall in Velachery. The blockade led to long queues of vehicles and traffic congestion for about 30 minutes.
The State last revised auto-rickshaw fares in 2013, fixing Rs 25 for the first 1.8 km and Rs 12 for every additional kilometre. In February 2022, the Madras High Court directed the government to revise the fares, following which the Transport Department formed a committee to consult stakeholders.
During the consultations, unions urged the government to fix a minimum fare of Rs 50 and Rs 25 per km thereafter. However, the fares have not been revised so far, triggering sustained protests by autorickshaw unions over non-compliance with the court’s direction.
Speaking to the media, Federation president Jahir Hussain said the strike was organised to press a seven-point charter of demands, including a revision of auto meter fares and regulation of private app-based aggregators. He said repeated representations to the Transport Commissioner had failed to yield any solution.
"As there was no response to our demands, we were compelled to intensify the protest by blocking the road. We will continue with a series of agitations until our grievances are addressed," he said.