The Dhanbad administration on Thursday finalised a rate chart for autorickshaw drivers to avoid confusion over fares during the lockdown.

According to the revised chart, the highest fare of Rs 300 has been fixed for the route between Dhanbad railway station to Sindri, a distance of around 25km.

The lowest fare of Rs 60 has been fixed for three different destinations, including station to bus stand, station to Dhansar and station to Bank More, covering a distance of around 2km.

A delegation of auto drivers, under the banner of the Jharkhand Pariwahan Mazdoor Union, met the district transport officer, Om Prakash Yadav, on Wednesday and presented the proposed fare chart for four different routes.

The district administration, after a discussion with the autorickshaw drivers, finalised the fares for 44 different destinations.

These comprise four different routes - Dhanbad station to Putki, Dhanbad station to Sindri, Dhanbad station to Govindpur and Dhanbad station to Barawaddah.

The district administration specified that the autorickshaws will ply only through reservation mode and only two passengers will be allowed.

It also issued strict instructions to the autorickhaw drivers and operators to ensure the usage of masks and regular sanitisation of the vehicles after each journey and to maintain a record of the passengers.

The administration also allowed the drivers two months’ time to renew the permits that had lapsed during the lockdown.

The president of the Jharkhand Pariwahan Mazdoor Union, Sunil Singh, said, “Though the fares have been finalised according to our proposal, very few passengers are willing to pay such high charges.”

“We have also witnessed some of the autorickshaws carrying more than two passengers,” said Singh.

He added that they are caught in a dilemma, as the administration is adamant on the number of passengers while the passengers are not willing to pay the higher fares.