Autorickshaw drivers here prepared a fare chart for different routes and submitted it to the district administration for approval, following their complaints against the state government’s guidelines on transport during the lockdown, which they had termed “impractical and unviable”.

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

These comprised the Dhanbad station-Sindri route; Dhanbad station to Barwaddah route; Dhanbad station to Steel gate route and Dhanbad station to Putki route.

“As the administration has clarified that there was no scope of increasing the seating capacity from two persons per autorickshaw and instructed that autorickshaws can operate only in he reserved booking mode, the best solution is to fix rates for different routes to avoid confusion. This also leaves no scope for any bickering with the customers over the rate issue,” said the president of the Jharkhand Pariwahan Mazdoor Union, Sunil Singh.

He also refused to divulge details of the rate chart until it was approved by the administration.

“The district administration had clarified on Tuesday that the fare should not be exorbitant and we also do not want to put any extra burden on the commuters. Hence, we took everything into account while deciding the fares. Once the administration approves the new rates, these will be applicable for all routes,” said Singh.

He added that the notification for the fare chart by the district administration is quite crucial.

The autorickshaw drivers on Tuesday met the subdivisional officer, seeking a solution to the difficulties being faced by them. They had also demanded that they be allowed to take four persons per autorickshaw instead of the two persons allowed by the administration.

The SDO had said there was no scope of increasing the number of passengers.

However, they would consider extending the validity of their permits as the offices were closed during the lockdown.

The autorickshaw drivers also met the Dhanbad deputy commissioner, Amit Kumar, late on Tuesday evening, seeking his intervention in the matter.

Kumar had authorised the district transport officer to look into the concerns of the drivers