Autos were off the road, and there were no traffic snarls, encroachment of roads or junctions, illegally parking, or haphazard driving causing inconvenience to road users
There was no impact of the autorickshaw strike as the commuters availed the services of Rapido and Ola
Auto drivers demanding the TGSRTC to stop electric buses, abolition of Rapido and Ola services
Autos violate norms of traversing a distance of 3 to 10 kilometres only
Overloading of autos and risking the lives of commuters is a common sight
KARIMNAGAR, AUGUST 24, 2026: The road users in Karimnagar town heaved a sigh of relief with no traffic snarls or encroachment of roads and junctions or haphazard driving by auto-wallahs following the autos remaining off the road following the strike on Monday.
The auto drivers have launched the strike demanding the government to stop electric buses in TGSRTC, abolition of Rapido and Ola auto services, setting up a welfare board, providing Rs 12,000 annually to auto drivers, Rs 5 lakh accident insurance coverage etc.
There is no impact of the autorickshaw strike in Karimnagar town as the commuters were availing the Rapido and Ola services comfortably at reasonable rates when compared to the regular autos, who fleece the passengers by charging exorbitantly as there are no meters fixed.
Srinivas, a medical representative in Karimnagar town, said that: ‘it was really a comfortable ride in the town, with the majority of autos remaining off the road. There were no bottlenecks with illegal parking at the junctions and sudden stoppage of autos on the roads’. He said that the Karimnagar town roads are choked with more autos than the capacity and causing traffic snarls, pollution and sound pollution.
A bank employee said that despite efforts by the traffic police, a large number of auto-rickshaws plying on city roads have led to traffic snarls across the city. It is time to restrict the number of auto-rickshaws by banning the new registration of auto-rickshaws. The growing number of auto-rickshaws has become a cause for concern as it is adding to air pollution and resulting in shrinking road space, he added.
As per the norms, auto-rickshaws can operate only within the limits of the Municipal Corporation where they are registered. However, a large number of autos can be seen plying on the roads connecting Jagtial, Husnabad, Warangal, Siddipet, Manthani, Godavarikhani, Sircilla and more places. The RTA norms strictly says that the autos should travel a distance ranging from three kilometres to 10 kilometres only. But the autos are covering more than 70 kilometres, risking the lives of their commuters with overloaded autos.
The National Green Tribunal also banned the plying of all 15-year-old petrol and diesel autos in all major towns, including Karimnagar town, but they still move rampantly due to lethargy on the part of RTA and Traffic police.
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