MUMBAI: Auto drivers across Maharashtra will stage a morcha to Regional Transport Office (RTO) premises on April 8, protesting what Unions have called an unjustified fee structure for joining the state welfare scheme for drivers.In Mumbai, the main protest will be held outside the Andheri RTO, where a large gathering of drivers is expected. Union leaders have warned that the agitation could disrupt autorickshaw services across the suburbs during the day.At the centre of the protest is the requirement for each driver to pay Rs 500 as a joining fee and Rs 300 as an annual fee to enrol in the welfare scheme, taking the total to Rs 800. Driver representatives said the charges defeat the very purpose of a welfare board, which was set up around a year ago to support workers in the sector.Union leader Shashank Rao said the fee is unreasonable, especially when several other welfare boards reportedly charge only one rupee for registration. He argued that autorickshaw drivers already bear heavy financial burdens, including permit costs and annual compliance expenses, and should not be forced to pay such a high amount in the name of welfare.Rao also questioned the scale of collections likely under the scheme. With an estimated 15 lakh drivers in the state, unions said the government could collect around Rs 120 crore from drivers. “Is this for our welfare or for the transport department’s welfare?” he asked.Adding to the anger are allegations from drivers that, unofficially, they are being told to first pay the Rs 800 before fitness certificates are cleared or transport-related documents are processed. Union leaders described this as coercive and extortionary, saying no driver can be compelled to pay to access routine approvals.The April 8 protest is expected to draw participation from auto unions across the state, with Mumbai likely to witness one of the biggest turnouts outside the Andheri RTO.
