Telangana: Auto drivers find the going tough, turn to daily labour

Several auto drivers, who bought autos using loans from finance companies or banks, are finding it difficult to pay their EMIs as their earnings are said to have decreased by more than 50 percent.

Sangareddy: With many women utilising the free travel facility on RTC buses, auto drivers in the district are struggling to make ends meet.

Several auto drivers, who bought autos using loans from finance companies or banks, are finding it difficult to pay their EMIs as their earnings are said to have decreased by more than 50 percent.

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The auto drivers, those who run hired autos, say they have stopped taking autos for rent as they were finding it difficult to pay the rent. Instead, they are turning into daily wage labourers at farms in rural areas to run their families.

There used to be 30 autos that operated between Patancheru and Shankarampet town every day until the government launched the Maha Lakshmi scheme. This has now come down to below 10. Speaking to Telangana Today, G Bikshapathi, who was earning a livelihood by operating an auto between Shankarampet and Patancheru for over eight years, said he used to earn Rs.1,500 every day. While Rs.500 would be spent on diesel, Bikshapathi used to lead a decent life after paying Rs.5,000 as EMI for the auto he bought three years ago. However, his daily income has now come down to Rs.500.

Many auto drivers he knows have quit the profession and turned into labourers because they could not earn a sufficient income, he said.

Another auto driver, Ankenagari Masaiah Goud, said more than 60 percent of his passengers used to be women.

With most of these passengers now turning to RTC buses, he is struggling to provide for his family now. Auto drivers carried out multiple protests across the district on Saturday, demanding the government for a solution to their issues.