No immediate ban,auto strike off

The autorickshaw owners in the state,including Pune,had called for a strike in protest against the government decision to phase out autorickshaws from ferrying schoolchildren. The unions dropped the strike plan after a meeting with Transport Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil,Transport Secretary CS Sangitrao and Transport Commissioner Dilip Jadhav,among others.

“During the meeting,it was clarified by the Transport Minister that the rickshaws will be stopped from being used as a mode of transport for schoolchildren in a phase-wise manner. The ban will be first implemented in Mumbai,followed by the municipal areas in the state over the next two years. The other regions of the state will follow them,” Regional Transport Authority member Baba Shinde said.

The unions went on the backfoot after the clarification. “Since the ban will be brought into force in a phase-wise manner and in a planned manner,we have decided to withdraw the strike for the time being,” Maharashtra Rickshaw Sena president Nana Kshirsagar said.

The Transport Ministry has convened another meeting in Mumbai on June 22 to discuss fare hike and common meter charges across the state.