Thiruvananthapuram, 11 Nov (H.S.) :

Auto and taxi unions in Kerala have withdrawn their proposed 24-hour strike, scheduled to begin at midnight on Wednesday, after the state government assured them that fares would be increased from January 1.

The breakthrough came during talks between Transport Minister C.P. John and representatives of auto and taxi unions. The government agreed to revise fares and announced that a commission would be appointed to study the extent of the increase.

However, the revised fare structure has not been finalised. The assurance relates to implementing an increase, while the minimum charges and other applicable rates will be determined following the proposed study.

The unions have demanded that the minimum autorickshaw fare be raised from Rs 30 to Rs 50 and the minimum taxi fare from Rs 250 to Rs 300. These remain the unions’ demands and have not been announced as the rates approved by the government.

Following the assurance, union representatives decided to call off the strike, averting a statewide disruption of auto and taxi services. The protest had been announced to press for an early decision on their demand for fare revision.

Various trade unions had earlier submitted representations to the state government seeking an increase in fares. Subsequently, the Transport Commissioner convened a meeting to discuss the issue, but the discussions ended without a decision.

The lack of a resolution prompted the unions to announce the 24-hour stoppage. Wednesday’s ministerial intervention brought an agreement on the implementation date, with the government committing to a study before fixing the new rates.

The immediate outcome of the talks is the withdrawal of the strike and an assurance of revised fares from the new year. The commission’s study will form the basis for deciding how much passengers will pay once the revised structure comes into effect statewide.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman