The autorickshaw strike is unfair as agitation is a weak form of protest to make your demands heard by the authorities. The autos are driven by people who are poor but sadly the leaders of the union who advise them for agitations stay in air conditioned homes and work from similar offices and are unaware of the ground realities faced by their union members as well as the people who use autos today. All autos today run on LPG which is very economical and people pay exhorbitant auto fares as they have almost doubled in the last few years. A small rise in permit renewal feels is not the real reason for the strike which basically I feel is on account of competition from private taxi operators. Competition is healthy and one must improve efficiency to draw customers than protest which serves no purpose.
In today’s world of hi-tech technology, why can’t we have autos on demand at our doorsteps if private taxis can give us this service? People would be happy to pay more if they are provided with services to their satisfaction. Young Union leaders like Shashank Rao and his tribe should facilitate to build auto ventures on the same model as private taxi operators with collaboration with industrialists so that autos on demand become a reality. This would be a win-win situation for all as we would have modern autorickshaws with all luxuries, auto drivers would get better remuneration by way of increased salary which is fixed as well as on incentives and private investors would get an opportunity to invest in this venture. Protests serve no purpose except harassing the patrons and let us hope young Union leaders use their brains to help build utility services which are a key to nation building!
S.N. Kabra
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
