Autorickshaws to be back on roads

The Administration assured the operators of looking into their demands and formed a 12-member committee with representations from the Administration,auto operators and the Delhi Financial Corporation for the purpose.

“Our fight will continue,but we will ferry passengers till the committee takes a decision. Our further plan of action will depend on the decision,” declared Kamala Kant,chairman of the Joint Action Committee.

Ram Niwas said: “No non-LPG autorickshaw will be allowed in the city after August 31,2009,but a committee has been formed to study the demands of the operators. On the basis of its report,a decision will be taken regarding the phasing out of non-LPG autorickshaws.”

The committee comprises SSP (Traffic) S S Shrivastava,SP (Traffic) H S Doon,STA secretary Vandana Disodia,Additional Deputy Commissioner Capt P S Shergill and Transport Director M L Sharma. Four representatives of the autorickshaw operators are Joint Action Committee chairman Kamala Kant,general secretary Balbir Singh,Panchkula Autorickshaw Welfare Association chairman Rohtash Singh and Mohali Autorickshaw Union president Om Prakash.

To study the financial issues of the operators,there will be a representative from the Delhi Financial Corporation in the committee,besides two representatives from the transport departments of Punjab and Haryana.

“The committee will study the pattern followed in Delhi while phasing out petrol and diesel-run autorickshaws. Also,financial assistance will be sought from banks,apart from the Delhi Financial Corporation,” said STA secretary Vandana Disodia.

The residents of the tricity,meanwhile,heaved a sigh of relief with the strike being called off. Several autorickshaws were seen on the roads by evening,after the meeting was over. “It was sheer harassment for us,especially the students and office-goers. I hope this kind of problem does not recur and the committee’s decision is accepted peacefully,” said Rajeev Goyal,a daily commuter on the Panchkula-Chandigarh route.

Ram Niwas told Newsline that in his letter sent to the Transport Secretary of Punjab on Friday,he had requested him to open at least two LPG stations in Mohali,provide easy finance facility to auto drivers on the pattern of Chandigarh and countersign 200 LPG autorickshaws registered in Chandigarh,which Niwas said “would make the city pollution free”.