Allow us to carry 8 school children in twin cities:Auto drivers

Hyderabad, Sep 7 (UNI) The Auto Drivers Joint Action Committee today demanded that the autorickshaws plying in the twin cities--Hyderabad and Secunderabad-- be allowed to carry eight school children instead of the present six.

In a statement here, its convener Mohd Amanullah Khan said the autorickshaw drivers would remove ''to carry six school children only'' orders painted by the Hyderabad Traffic police on the autos to protest against the double standards adopted by police in not painting similar instructions on the APSRTC and SETWIN buses.

The committee threatened to forcibly stop the overloaded buses in the city till their demand was met with.

Mr Khan recalled that in November 1997 following a five-day indefinite auto strike in the city, the then Transport Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had decided to permit eight school children in autos and the present government's decision not to allow up to eight children is ''prejudiced'' and ''biased.

He said there was not logic in taking stern action against the autos carrying more than six school children while not taking action against the overloaded APSRTC and SETWIN buses.

UNI