Silchar, Aug. 29: The Cachar district administration is on a collision course with the Silchar Autorickshaw Owners’ Association.

The row has been sparked by the association’s unilateral announcement hiking passenger fares in various slabs within the town and its fringe areas with effect from Wednesday. Over 2,000 autorickshaws currently operate in this zone.

Cachar district deputy commissioner Sunanda Sengupta termed the sudden hike in passenger fares after a gap of two years as “illegal”, making it clear that it could be implemented only in the course of an agreement between the association and the Regional Transport Authority.

She assured a delegation of the Grahak Suraksha Samity, a consumers’ committee, that deterrent measures would be taken to prevent such a unilateral rate hike.

Sengupta called on commuters not to pay the enhanced fares till this dispute is sorted out.

A crackdown was also carried out on errant autorickshaw drivers in this town yesterday by a combined team of officials from the district administration, police and the district transport enforcement branch. Thirteen autorickshaws, which did not have valid licences and documents, were detained.

Police sources today confirmed that the fare hike had led to sporadic disputes between passengers and autorickshaw drivers at stands inside this town during the past two days. However, nobody has been arrested.