Ahmedabad: Auto drivers want cap in rickshaw numbers

City-based auto rickshaw drivers in the city have demanded a cap on fresh registration of auto rickshaws in Ahmedabad, claiming 2 lakh rickshaws are more than sufficient for a city like Ahmedabad. The City-based Auto Rickshaw Drivers Action Committee, on Wednesday, submitted a memorandum to the district collector in this regard. They have also threatened that if their demands are not met, they would block the roads.

The city has an estimated 2 lakh rickshaws, while the optimum number is close to 60,000, according to Ashok Punjabi, president of the committee. "Indiscriminate permission to new rickshaws has meant that average earnings are compromised and there is not enough infrastructure," said Punjabi. A delegation of rickshaw drivers met the district collector on Wednesday and held protests in front of the collector office.

With Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and city police conducting drives to ease congestion on roads, auto rickshaw drivers are complaining about inadequate number of rickshaw stands in the city.

"Against the 2 lakh rickshaws that are there, there are stands for only 30,000, that too after the recent move to increase stands. Until a few months ago, there were stands for only 2,000 rickshaws," said Rajveer Upadhyay, Secretary of the committee.

They have also sought dedicated parking lots at Ahmedabad Airport and railway station. They claim that in the absence of such facilities, they are not allowed to function in a seamless manner. The committee also demanded a roll back of hike in prices of CNG, used as a fuel in rickshaws. "It was after years of delay that rickshaw fares were revised. However, the recent hike in CNG prices have nullified the impact of hike. So we want a roll back of hike in prices," said Upadhyay.