BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, April 11: Mr Yadagiri, a cab driver, was on his way to Jubilee Hills after picking up a passenger from the Shamshabad airport when he was flagged down at Attapur crossroads by RTA officials.
They took his RC book and other documents and then issued him an authorisation letter asking him to report to poll duty from April 14 to 17.
This is the easy way, which RTA officials and the police have found, to mobilise more vehicles for poll duty.
Several cabs and trucks moving in and around Hyderabad are being waylaid by police and the RTA officials now. The drivers are then asked to report for poll duty.
“We were told that we will get back our RC books after the polls are over,” said Mr Yadagiri. “To conduct elections we are empowered to do all these things,” said the Chief Electoral Officer, Dr I.V. Subba Rao. “As we need a large number of vehicles to transport poll related staff and material, officials are resorting to these acts. Vehicle owners will be paid the due rent.” In earlier polls too, police and RTA authorities used to forcibly take cabs and trucks. They used to prefer Ambassador cars earlier but now they are ‘procuring’ even Qualis and Innova models.
“We don’t object to giving our vehicles for poll duty,” said Mr N.K. Sultania, president of the Greater Hyderabad Cab and Bus Operators’ Association.
“But the government is not paying proper rent. How can they pay the same rent for an Ambassador and an Innova?” Cab drivers are also grumbling that they are forced to work round the clock as part of poll duty.
No comments:
Post a Comment