• Gives 1-month for admin to address its demand • Admin says DDADU told to comply with orders
Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 11
The Dimapur District Auto Drivers’ Union (DDADU) has “unconditionally” called off its bandh from Tuesday after a meeting with the Dimapur district administration on Monday evening.
Calling off the bandh was relayed to the district administration over the phone an hour after the joint meeting. DDADU office bearers informed The Morung Express that the Union had lifted the bandh after the district administration agreed to look into their demands within a month.
However, the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur, Sara S. Jamir said that the DDADU was given one month to ply with the new rates and assured of looking into “grey areas” where revision was needed.
DDADU is demanding revision of fare rates as per 2014 order issued by the then Deputy Commissioner but with a rider that they be permitted to carry “overload” passengers. DDADU described ‘overload’ as carrying five passengers in small autorickshaws and 10 passengers in bigger autorickshaws against the permissible 3 and 6 passengers respectively.
“Without any condition they (DDADU) have called off the bandh. Our stand is clear that they have to follow the orders. The main order will stand and we will not cancel it. We may have made mistakes in some areas and we will look into their grievances but they have to implement the order at least for a month after which the grey areas will be looked into,” Sara Jamir said.
On the other hand, DDADU cited instances where the administration had fixed higher rates for taxis and questioned the authorities of such step. DDADU said the autorickshaw fare from Rail Gate to Chumukedima was Rs 40 while the authorities had fixed Rs 50 for taxis, per passenger.
Similarly, the autorickshaws were charging Rs 15 from Dhobinalla Junction to Thahekhu Tower point whereas the administration had fixed Rs 30 from Clock Tower Junction to Thahekhu. They indicated that the distance between Clock Tower Junction to Dhobinalla Junction was not an enough distance to double the fare as compared to Dhobinalla-Thahekhu.
DDADU’s major demand is enhancing the town trip fare from Rs 40 to Rs 50 and enhancing Rs 5 each in every line autorickshaws. However, SDO (C) Dimapur, Zakabo who was also present in the meeting informed that the DDADU had on its own enhanced town trip rate from Rs 30 to Rs 40 whereas the existing official rate was still Rs 30. He told DDADU in the meeting that there would be no revision with regard to town trip but kept options open for revision in some routes.
The district administration is also peeved at the disregard shown by DDADU to various administrative orders issued in the past regarding compulsory uniform for auto drivers, carrying passengers beyond the specified numbers, fare rates etc.
Interacting with press persons at her office chamber, ADC Sara Jamir maintained that the response of the public regarding arrangement of buses and taxis was overwhelming with encouragements to make the arrangement permanent. She said the public were happy to spend Rs 10 only instead of the usual Rs 40 auto fare for the same distance and similarly lesser amount for varying routes. The commuters also reached their destination earlier and sooner than the usual time taken while commuting in autorickshaws, she added.
The ADC Dimapur also informed that the district administration deployed 150 taxis and 16 buses which included 6 NST buses and 10 private buses on Monday in view of the bandh. Sara Jamir said that some citizens provided voluntary service to public by ferrying commuters free of cost in their private vehicles.
Meanwhile, DDADU office bearers informed that their volunteers stopped plying of private vehicles in town for ferrying passengers. DDADU volunteers were seen stopping autorickshaws at Nagarjan Police Point and directing it to DDADU office. Taxis with “local taxi” tag on windshield carrying passengers were also stopped by volunteers who tore the tags with a warning not to return. In the midst of all these, IRB personnel present at the site remained mere onlookers. In some areas, buses and local taxis plying within the town were cautioned by DDADU volunteers not to ferry passengers.
This could explain why the number of NST buses and taxis plying in the city and on the National Highway till Chumukedima seemed to fall short compared to the volume of commuters, majority of who comprised of school and college students.
Many students in groups were seeing going on foot to their respective institutions.
Two routes where NST buses plied at regular intervals included the Dhobinallah-Thahekhu Clock Tower and Dhobinallah-DC Court Junction, while local taxis ferried maximum number of passengers on the Chumukedima-Railway Station route.
DDADU said that it has more than 5000 registered autorickshaws in Dimapur.
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