Auto drivers block road

Puducherry, Jan 2 (UNI) Traffic on the busy Jawharlal Nehru Street here came to a standstill for more than two hours as auto drivers parked their vehicles on the road and staged a demonstration protesting the hike in the annual insurance premium on autorickshaws.

CITU-affiliated Autorickshaw Drivers Association told newspersons the annual insurance premium collected by the United India Insurance Company was raised to Rs 2,100 from Rs 1,050, hitting them hard.

CPI(M) State Secretary V Perumal and Tamil Nadu State Party Council Member T Murugan also joined the agitating auto drivers.

Police held talks with the demonstrators and persuaded them to remove the vehicles from the road. However, they did not heed.

UNI