Hyderabad: Hyderabad is set to add 65,000 new autorickshaws within the Outer Ring Road (ORR), in addition to the existing 1.05 lakh autos plying in the city. The move, announced by transport minister Ponam Prabhakar on Saturday, has triggered strong opposition from several auto rickshaw unions, which plan to stage a protest at Dharna Chowk on Monday.
The city had maintained a two-decade-long policy that restricted new autorickshaw permits unless an old vehicle was scrapped. This was aimed at controlling traffic congestion and curbing pollution. According to the Road Transport Authority (RTA), the new permits include 20,000 battery-operated vehicles, 25,000 retrofitted autos, 10,000 LPG-fitted and 10,000 CNG-fitted vehicles.
Garib Autorickshaw Drivers Union president Mohammed Ibrahim Ahmad criticised the decision. “For the past 20 years, the government enforced a blanket ban. But, suddenly introducing CNG and LPG autos contradicts the Chief Minister’s decision to move diesel RTC buses out of the ORR limits,” he said.
Ahmad demanded that all new autos be electric and called for charging infrastructure to be installed at auto stands and other key locations. However, several other unions have long demanded that more autos be allowed to operate within the Greater Hyderabad region, citing growing demand and long waiting lists for permits.
