President of Orissa Autorickshaw Association Subhas Singh (extreme left) and other members address a news conference in Cuttack. Picture Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, July 15: Orissa Autorickshaw Association has threatened for an agitation against the apathy of transport department and state government which have allegedly failed to address various issues.

The association said that the last meeting regarding fixation of fares was held in 2008. Since then, not a single meeting has been convened by the transport commission keeping in view the hike in petrol and diesel prices.

“The prices of petrol and diesel have been hiked almost 20 times in the last four years. But not a single meeting has been convened to fix up the fares as it is done in case for the private buses operating in the state,” said Orissa Autorickshaw Association’s president Subhas Singh.

Addressing a news conference here today, Singh said no step has been taken so far towards identification, demarcation and subsequent setting up parking lots in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

At present, autorickshaw still forms the cheapest mode of transportation not only in the country but also in the world.

More than 56,000 autorickshaws are the basic means of transportation in the state.

“As no step has been taken by the government towards fare fixation, we are forced to hike the fares according to the rise in the petrol and diesel prices. Moreover, we are also protesting the collection of tax for 15 years, Rs 3,400 for meter installation as the cost for such meter is around 600 in Delhi,” said vice-president Nabakishore Mohanty.

Mohanty said that without providing adequate parking facilities, the autorickshaw drivers are being fined by police.

Despite catering to nearly five to six lakh passengers everyday across the state, no step has been taken to provide identity cards, pension and insurance to them.

Hence, the association has decided to meet the transport commissioner and will submit a demand regarding parking facilities and fixation of fare on July 22. Later, a state-level conference of the autorickshaw union will be held in Cuttack on August 11, where the next course of action for state-wide agitation will be decided, Mohanty added.