Telangana To Hold High-Level Meeting On Auto Workers’ Issues On September 7

The Telangana government will hold a high-level meeting on September 7 to discuss the welfare of auto-rickshaw drivers and address their long-pending concerns, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said.

The meeting will be held at 4 pm at the Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat, with Labour Minister Vivek Venkat Swamy and representatives of the Auto Workers’ Joint Action Committee (JAC) taking part.

The meeting follows a discussion between the auto unions’ JAC representatives and Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on August 23, when the representatives submitted a series of demands concerning the livelihood and welfare of auto-rickshaw drivers.

The government has decided to bring the concerned departments together to examine the issues and identify measures that can be implemented at the earliest. Among the key matters expected to come up for discussion are the formation of an auto workers’ welfare board, the proposed aggregator policy, and a revision of auto-meter fares.

Another major demand concerns financial assistance for drivers seeking to shift from conventional diesel and petrol vehicles. The meeting will consider the proposal to provide ₹1.50 lakh financial assistance for retrofitting diesel and petrol autos, with the aim of easing the transition for drivers.

Ponnam Prabhakar said the government was taking the concerns of auto workers with a positive approach and would examine issues falling under different departments in a coordinated manner. The objective, he said, was to arrive at decisions that provide tangible relief to the auto-rickshaw community.

The Transport Minister has also directed senior officials to attend the meeting with comprehensive information on the issues under their respective jurisdictions. The officials include the Special Chief Secretary of the Transport, Roads and Buildings Department, the Transport Commissioner, the Labour Commissioner and the Hyderabad Traffic Joint Commissioner of Police, among others.

The Transport Commissioner has been asked to formally inform the Auto Workers’ JAC representatives and ensure their participation in the meeting.