Noida autos go on strike against meter diktat

NOIDA: Commuters in Noida bore the brunt of the two-day strike, called by the auto-rickshaw union, with most autos staying off the roads on Tuesday, but the bandh had no impact in Greater Noida where autos ferried people as usual.
The strike was called by the union to mount pressure on the government to revise the current fare structure, issue a single permit for Gautam Budh Nagar district and relax "rigid norms" for NCR permits, after the regional transport office recently made installation of electronic meters compulsory in autos.
In Noida, most of the autos stayed off the roads, particularly near important junctions and busy areas like Sector 62, Sector 37 and Sector 18 near TGIP mall. But, a few autos, which dared to ply, were stopped and their tyres flattened by union members, forcing commuters to get down midway and walk.
"I have been waiting for half an hour but there is not a single auto. I heard that some autos are demanding Rs 200 for less than 10 kms from here," said Priyanka Kumari, a student in Sector 37.
Chaudhary Om Prakash Gurjar, the president of the Noida auto union, said the strike was a symbolic protest and would be intensified if their demands were not met.
"We are not against installation of electronic meters. We want the fare structure across NCR to be uniform. In Delhi, the minimum fare for first 2 km is Rs 25 while in Noida, it's Rs 6.80 for the first one km. The fare for next one km in Delhi is Rs 8 while in Noida it is Rs 5.50. This is despite CNG being more expensive in Noida," Gurjar said.
He claimed that road tax in Noida was six times that of Delhi, and hence, fare revision of city autos was important. "Moreover, there is single auto permit for nine districts in Delhi. But there are four separate permits for Gautam Budh Nagar district. We are demanding one for the entire district," Gurjar said.
However, the impact of the strike was negligible in Greater Noida, where many autos ferried commuters as usual. "Autos dropped several people in our sector today," said Harinder Bhati, general secretary of Sector Beta 1 RWA.
The transport officials said the state government would have to take a final call on the revision of fare structure, but claimed that 12 additional state transport buses and 18 private buses were pressed into service throughout the day.
Mayank Jyoti, RTO, Ghaziabad, said the transport department has apprised the government of the demands of the auto union. "The NCR autos follow the inter-state agreement signed by four states. All the four state governments have to discuss the issue for any change in the norms of NCR autos," he added.