No fare hike of auto-rickshaw temporarily

Final decision will be taken after study of the Khatua committee

Aurangabad, July 2:

A meeting of the Regional Transport Authority Committee (RTAC) was held on Friday regarding the meter price hike of rickshaws. The officials said that a decision will be taken regarding the meter price hike after studying the guidelines put forward by the Khatua committee for fare hike. This has provided a temporary relief to the passengers, however, the rickshaw drivers are expressing their displeasure.

There has been no increase in meter rates for rickshaws since 2015 in Aurangabad. Petrol, diesel and LPG prices have risen sharply in the last few months. But the fare hike for autos has been pending since the past seven years. This issue was discussed in the meeting of the RTAC held in the presence of the district collector. RTO officials said the report of the Khatua committee and the fare structure will be studied before announcing any fare hike.

Demand to increase fare to Rs 20

At present, the meter rate for rickshaws is Rs 14 for the first kilometer and Rs 14 for each subsequent kilometer. Now, a demand has been made to the transport authority to increase the meter rate by Rs 20 for the first km and Rs 19 for each subsequent km.

Study for three months

The report of the Khatua committee has been studied for the last three month. The rickshaw drivers are outraged that no decision has been taken at the meeting, said Nisar Ahmed Khan, president, rickshaw driver-owners federation.