Telangana to set up welfare board for auto workers soon: Bhatti
Hyderabad, Oct 4 (TNT): Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has said the state government would soon establish a Welfare Board for auto workers and their families and address their legitimate concerns from a humanitarian perspective.
Addressing leaders of Hyderabad city Auto Drivers’ Associations JAC at Praja Bhavan here on Saturday, where he hosted a dinner for them, Bhatti said the proposal to establish the Welfare Board had already been discussed in the Cabinet.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar and Minister for SC Development Adluri Laxman also attended the programme.
Bhatti said the government would complete the process of discussing the proposal in the legislature and allocating the required funds before establishing the Welfare Board.
He said the government had responded to the demand of auto drivers for a fare revision after Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar examined their problems and placed them before the Cabinet.
Following the Cabinet’s decision, the government issued an order increasing the auto fare from Rs 11 to Rs 14 per kilometre, he said.
Bhatti said the Rs 11 per kilometre fare had been fixed in 2014 and alleged that successive governments in Telangana had failed to adequately address the problems of auto drivers despite repeated agitations.
He said nearly 20 lakh families were dependent on workers in the transport sector and assured that the government would examine other demands raised by auto drivers and take decisions based on their legitimate needs.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the government would also assess whether the revised fare of Rs 14 per kilometre was adequate in view of the rise in prices.
He said the government had invited representatives of auto drivers’ associations to Praja Bhavan to understand their problems directly rather than limiting itself to issuing orders.
Bhatti said the government was also promoting cleaner transport in Hyderabad and had allocated Rs 200 crore under the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam programme to support replacement of diesel autos with battery-powered vehicles.
The government was providing a subsidy of Rs 1.50 lakh per auto under the initiative, he said, adding that solar, battery and CNG autos would be given greater priority in the future.
Bhatti said the government was working towards balancing the livelihood concerns of transport workers with the need to reduce pollution and improve the city’s environment.
