How can our great union leader Mr. Sharad Rao keep away from this list?
What: Mr. Sharad Rao wants autorickshaw fares hiked and rollback on the rule of compulsory electronic metres and has called for strike. Initial call was indefinite strike and as of today it is reduced to "one day symbolic strike", citing some alleged assurances from the government. Here is a brief report from Hindustan times.
Why its here: The news item is pretty bland. But some background in those demands will give the real picture. The union is asking for a 30% rise in auto fares. If agreed, it will make autos more expensive than most other transport, even for short distances, AC busses or even taxies will make more economic sense than those autos which are slower, more cramped and a way lot unsafe. Government should simply accept their demand and let them deal with the loss of business they will face as a result. Same is case with the electronic metres. The union tried to claim (and argued all the way till the supreme court) that new electronic metres are equally prone to tampering as the old mechanical metres and hence the additional expense on them is not justified. However, everytime they tried to give deomnstration of "successful tampering" of electronic metres in the court, they failed spectacularly. Yet they still want to stick to their demand, as the old metres give them distinct advantage in fleecing customers.
This Mr. Rao also controls municipal worker's union and bus transport union etc. Last many years, he has evovled a pattern of calling a strike for the most rediculous of demands. Courts have repriminded the unions several times, the ordinary union members have suffered due to his stubborness. But I guess the guy will never grow up. Where are the true followers of great union leaders of the past like comrade Dange, comrade Desai and comrade Randive?
What: Mr. Sharad Rao wants autorickshaw fares hiked and rollback on the rule of compulsory electronic metres and has called for strike. Initial call was indefinite strike and as of today it is reduced to "one day symbolic strike", citing some alleged assurances from the government. Here is a brief report from Hindustan times.
Why its here: The news item is pretty bland. But some background in those demands will give the real picture. The union is asking for a 30% rise in auto fares. If agreed, it will make autos more expensive than most other transport, even for short distances, AC busses or even taxies will make more economic sense than those autos which are slower, more cramped and a way lot unsafe. Government should simply accept their demand and let them deal with the loss of business they will face as a result. Same is case with the electronic metres. The union tried to claim (and argued all the way till the supreme court) that new electronic metres are equally prone to tampering as the old mechanical metres and hence the additional expense on them is not justified. However, everytime they tried to give deomnstration of "successful tampering" of electronic metres in the court, they failed spectacularly. Yet they still want to stick to their demand, as the old metres give them distinct advantage in fleecing customers.
This Mr. Rao also controls municipal worker's union and bus transport union etc. Last many years, he has evovled a pattern of calling a strike for the most rediculous of demands. Courts have repriminded the unions several times, the ordinary union members have suffered due to his stubborness. But I guess the guy will never grow up. Where are the true followers of great union leaders of the past like comrade Dange, comrade Desai and comrade Randive?
"Government should simply accept their demand and let them deal with the loss of business they will face as a result. Government should simply accept their demand and let them deal with the loss of business they will face as a result."
ReplyDeleteFully agree with you. In fact govt. should just remove regulation and let them compete with cab services like meru ....