Hyderabad: Around 100 members of the Telangana Auto Union Federation staged a dharna on Monday morning in front of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) at Khairatabad, protesting against GO No. 263. The protesters, who did not bring their autorickshaws to avoid causing traffic congestion in the busy area during peak hours, held banners opposing the government’s move.
The delegation later met the joint transport commissioner (JTC) C. Ramesh and demanded the withdrawal of GO 263, which permits the registration of 65,000 new auto-rickshaws in the Hyderabad region. The union members pointed out that since 2002, no diesel or petrol autorickshaws have been registered in any RTO offices in Hyderabad and its surrounding areas.
Union leaders said the city currently has around 1.05 lakh auto-rickshaws and urged the government to promote a pollution-free city by allowing only electric auto-rickshaws to be registered. The JTC assured the delegation that their appeal would be forwarded to higher authorities for further discussion with the transport minister.
