5,300 CNG autos won’t run today

CHANDIGARH: Commuters in city may be in for a tough time on Thursday as 5,300 CNG autorickshaws will not be operating.
Three-wheeler operators intend to do this as protest against government’s decision to hike price of liquid petroleum gas. They want the government to allow them to raise rates by 40%, like Delhi government did recently.
Alternatively, they want the rate of travelling in a normal three-wheeler to be at par with radio autorickshaws.It is estimated that over 1 lakh people hire autorickshaws in city daily. At present, the rate for the first kilometre of a journey is Rs 10.
For every subsequent kilometre, autorickshwas are supposed to charge Rs 4.
Secretary of LPG auto drivers’ union, Malkeet Singh, said till their demands were approved by the UT administration, they would keep their strike going. The protest would start from the Rally Ground in Sector 25. He stated that if UT authorities did not talk to them, they would take the demonstration to Matka Chowk.
‘‘We are demanding an increase in fares as the CNG rate has increased from Rs 22 to 43.60 per litre since 2008. The strike is mandatory for all LPG autorikshaw drivers,’’ he added.
Mahavir Kaushik, secretary of UT state transport authority, said his department had sent its recommendations regarding the matter and a decision was pending with senior UT officials. ‘‘Authorities will take some time to examine the proposals,’’ he added.