Mumbai: Auto drivers across Maharashtra staged a morcha at Regional Transport Office (RTO) premises on Wednesday, protesting what unions have called an unjustified fee structure for joining the state welfare scheme for autorickshaw drivers. In Mumbai, the main protest was held outside the Andheri RTO. This also impacted auto services in the western suburbs to some extent as drivers were part of the protest.At the centre of the protest is the requirement that each driver 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.
