Mumbai Rains: More showers expected, but autos to ply

The autorickshaw unions called off their indefinite strike late last night following intervention by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who has called a meeting between union leaders and Transport Minister Diwakar Raote today State authorities also moved quickly to implement its Rs 5 minimum fare for BEST from TuesdayConfirming this to midday union leader Shashank Sharad Rao said he got a message from the chief ministers office about the meeting at 3 pm on Tuesday Post the auto unions announcement to go ahead with strike state authorities moved quickly and decided to implement the new minimum fare of R5 for BEST from Tuesday itself This probably played a part in forcing the auto unions to call off the strike BEST chief spokesperson Hanumant Gophane confirmed to midday that the new bus fares would be applicable from TuesdayAlso ReadShut OlaUber give us PF pension Maharashtra automen threaten strike from July 9The state government issued the notification approving the fares late in the night clearing the way for the BEST to implement it at any moment At the time of going to press the notification was in the process of being published at the Government Press at Charni Road in the presence of BEST officials BEST officials said the decision will come into force on Tuesday itselfAuto unions had decided to strike after giving the government a month to mull over their demands File PicFollowing the inconclusive talks with state transport secretary Ashish Kumar Singh on Monday afternoon Shashank Rao president of the Autorickshaw Chalak Malak Samyukt Kruti Samiti an umbrella body of autorickshaw unions across the state had confirmed that the strike was going to be held all over the state except Thane because the trade unions affiliated to the Shiv Sena that have a stronghold there had decided not to join themRao said the decision came after they gave the state government time to mull over their demands The meeting with the transport secretary was inconclusive because they just assessed our demands but said nothing about the implementationThe Thane Autorickshawmens Union said they supported all the demands of the umbrella autorickshaw union as they were valid but since it has been raining in the state going on a strike at a time like this could have led to great inconvenience for school and collegegoing students and cause other complications Hence we decided not to go off the roads If the demands are not met even after the meeting with the transport minister on Tuesday we have threatened to intensify our agitation further said Chetan Ambonkar secretary of Thane Autorickshawmens UnionAlso ReadMumbai Rains Wall collapses on autorickshaw stand in Chembur no casualties reportedWhen midday reached out to state minister of transport Diwakar Raote he refused to comment on the issue but said I will call a press conference and invite all of you when I want to make my stand clearShashank Rao autorickshaw union leaderDespite noticeMeanwhile upon being asked why the union is choosing treating commuters this way in the monsoon Rao said the government should have thought about it earlier We had a meeting of statewide autorickshaw representatives on June 9 at Goregaon Following deliberations we drew up a list of demands and approached the government asking them to consider the list within a month The government has not acted despite being given a notice Rao told middayThe demandsThe major demands of the union include shutting down appbased cab services like Ola and Uber curbing the menace of illegal autorickshaws implementing the Hakim Committee reports recommendations bringing stricter control over issuance of permits and setting up a welfare board for autorickshaw drivers that can give them facilities like a provident fund state insurance etc Moreover the union had also demanded a minimum hike of Rs 4 to Rs 6 per km till June 30 Currently the minimum fare is Rs 18Also read Auto strike called off after CM Devendra Fadnavis intervenesCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates