Auto drivers threaten strike over ban on Ring Road entry

Surat: Drivers of over 25,000 autorickshaws plying between railway station, Udhna and Sahara Darwaja have threatened to go on an indefinite strike and force closure of textile markets to protest against decision of city police to ban entry of autos on Ring Road.
In a bid to make country's largest man-made fabric (MMF) textile markets on Ring Road free of traffic congestion and haphazard parking, the city police had issued a notification banning entry of autorickshaws from 9 am to 10 pm from Thursday.The notification was issued following the demands put forth by textile traders' association to eradicate auto menace from two square kilometre area on Ring Road. In another decision, city police permitted textile goods transport vehicles to load and unload fabrics before 2 pm. The transport vehicles will not be allowed to ply on Ring Road after 2 pm. A notification in this connection was issued by assistant commissioner of police (traffic) M G Chopda on Wednesday.
Sources said more than 25,000 autorickshaws ply on Ring Road between Maan Darwaja and Sahara Darwaja. A sizeable number of autorickshaws have been transporting fabrics from one market to the other and also unfinished fabrics from weaving units in Pandesara and Udhna to the markets. Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA) office-bearers said autorickshaws are parked outside the textile markets, waiting for the passengers and transporting textile fabrics. This creates traffic chaos.
"Police can't snatch away our right to ply vehicles on the roads. The auto drivers are paying road tax like any other vehicle owner. We will launch an indefinite strike and also force the markets to shut," Surat City Autorickshaw Federation general secretary Irfan Kapadia said.
He said, "Autorickshaws ferry customers, workers, security guards etc to the textile markets. Banning entry of autorickshaws is not going to solve the problem. When SMC is collecting taxes and impact fee, it is the civic body's duty to create parking facilities in the markets."
M G Chopda told TOI, "We will see the impact for a few days and then decide future course of action. The notification is issued on a temporary basis. We just want to experiment with the traffic situation on Ring Road."