Hyderabad Auto Strike Ends as Telangana Agrees to First Fare Hike Since 2012

Hyderabad commuters breathed relief on Monday after autorickshaw unions withdrew their threatened indefinite strike, hours after the Telangana government agreed to revise fares that had remained frozen since 2012. The same day, CM Revanth Reddy flew back from London to address a growing controversy over a denied U.S. visa, while the city’s Sikh community gathered for a centenary marathon marking 100 years of Central Gurudwara Sahib Gowliguda.

🗳️ Auto Strike Called Off After 14-Year Fare Freeze Breaks

Autorickshaw unions across Hyderabad and Telangana withdrew their indefinite strike after the state government agreed to revise fares for the first time since 2012, a wait of fourteen years that had become the central grievance of drivers struggling against rising fuel costs and increased competition from app-based cab aggregators. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar announced the agreement late on Sunday night, describing it as a comprehensive package that goes beyond a simple fare revision. He outlined three additional measures: the launch of a government-backed aggregator app that would allow auto drivers to compete digitally with private platforms, a mandate for mandatory yellow number plates for bike taxis operating in the state, and financial assistance to help drivers convert older petrol-run autos into electric vehicles. The welfare of auto drivers had been at the centre of multiple demands placed before the Joint Action Committee, which had declared the strike to press for the formation of a dedicated welfare board for auto-rickshaw and private transport workers. The agreement averted what would have been a severe disruption to daily commutes across the city, particularly for school-going children and daily wage workers who rely heavily on auto-rickshaws as their primary mode of transport. The fare revision details, including the revised base fare and per-kilometre rate, are expected to be formally notified by the state government within days following consultation with driver unions. [4]

🤝 Parents Sought School Holiday, Exams Kept Schools Open Amid Strike Threat

Even before autorickshaw unions formally called off their strike, Hyderabad parents had begun pressing school managements to declare a holiday on Monday, August 24, fearful that the city’s roads would be empty of the three-wheelers that carry thousands of children to and from school every day. Siasat.com spoke with parents who described the anxiety of the weekend: a parent of a Grade IV student named Ayesha said she was uncertain how her child would reach school safely if the strike proceeded. Another parent, who chose not to be named, acknowledged that while commuting would be difficult, pulling her child out was not an option because Formative Assessment 2, the mid-term examination cycle, was already under way in Hyderabad schools. The Joint Action Committee had declared the strike effective from Monday morning, arguing that the government had repeatedly ignored their demands for a welfare board, a long-overdue fare hike, and regulatory clarity on bike taxis that they see as unfair competition. Parents who depend on private school buses and walking routes were relatively unaffected, but families in areas with poor public bus connectivity faced the sharpest anxiety. The government’s last-minute agreement with union leaders spared Hyderabad from a repeat of previous transport shutdowns, which in the past have caused widespread school and office absenteeism across the city. [5]

🪔 Gowliguda Gurudwara Runs Its Centenary Mile, Plans September Celebrations

Hundreds of Hyderabad residents took to the streets on Sunday in a community marathon organised as part of the centenary celebrations of Central Gurudwara Sahib Gowliguda, marking 100 years of the historic Sikh place of worship in the heart of the old city. The run drew participants from across faith communities, reflecting the gurudwara’s longstanding role as a spiritual and social landmark in Hyderabad’s diverse urban fabric. The centenary is not a single-day event: organisers have planned an extended programme of events through September that will include Akhand Path Sahib, the continuous uninterrupted recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib, Kirtan Darbar, a devotional musical congregation, and Amrit Sanchar, the initiation ceremony through which Sikhs formally commit to the Khalsa tradition. Founded a century ago, the Gowliguda gurudwara has served not only as a place of worship for Hyderabad’s Sikh community but also as a site for langar, the community kitchen that offers free meals to anyone who walks in, irrespective of religion or background. The centenary celebrations are expected to draw Sikhs from across Telangana and neighbouring states, as well as dignitaries from religious institutions. The marathon was a fitting launch to the commemorations, blending the community’s spirit of seva, or selfless service, with a public gesture of belonging to the wider city. [6]

Sources: [4] Telangana Today · [5] The Siasat Daily · [6] The New Indian Express