Visakhapatnam: Auto-rickshaw drivers in Visakhapatnam will be protesting on Monday following strong rumours about Jagan Mohan Reddy government making travel for women in APSRTC buses free, like in neighbouring Telangana.
Speaking to reporters here on Sunday, Visakha Autorickshaw Sangham general secretary K. Satyanarayana and vice president G. Appalaraju underlined that free bus travel for women will impact the livelihoods of auto-rickshaw drivers in the city.
They maintained that the move is only aimed at garnering the support of women in the forthcoming assembly and parliamentary elections in Andhra Pradesh. The auto driver leaders said the fact that neighbouring states like Telangana and Karnataka have introduced the free bus travel for women is influencing Andhra Pradesh government to plan the scheme in AP too.
Protesting against such a move, auto drivers of Visakhapatnam will take out a procession on Monday from Mahatma Gandhi statue near Greater Visakhapatnam Municipality Corporation (to Visakhapatnam collectors’ office in Maharanipeta.
Satyanarayana and Appalaraju emphasised that the state government should have a more balanced approach towards initiatives that benefit various sections of the society.
