Galla Aruna Kumari, M Venkataramana lock horns over autos

Tirupati: Former minister Galla Aruna Kumari and ruling party Tirupati legislator M. Venkataramana have locked horns over a tussle between the autorickshaw drivers of Chandragiri and Tirupati constituency.

The tussle that broke out between the Chandragiri-based autowallas and the fruit vendors and autowallas of Tirupati has taken a political turn with the intervention of both the ruling party leaders in the picture.

Trouble began a fortnight ago when the fruit vendors encroached the footpath opposite the campus school in Tirupati, and also encroa-ched upon an auto-stand and streetfights between both the groups became the order of the day.

The fruit vendors and the autowallas brought up the issue to the notice of the Tirupati MLA, M. Venkataramana’s son-in-law, Sanjay, who acts as the defector legislator of Tirupati.

At the behest of the local MLA, the Chandragiri autowallas were evicted.

Around 300 Chandragiri-based autos operating were forced to take a long ‘detour’ from Tummalagunta via Vaikuntapuram-MR Palle-Annamaiah circle-DR Mahal-Tirupati bus stand to reach Tirupati and follow the same route in return.

Besides this the Chandragiri auto wallas were denied entry into the Tirupati town even during lean traffic hours, as extreme traffic curb enforced against them.

Meanwhile, around 300 Chandragiri auto wallas took up the issue to the notice of Galla Aruna Kumari, as she intervened and spoke to the Tirupati SP, Gopinath Jatti, to resolve the issue amicably and allow them into the town at least during the lean hours, as was the earlier practice. And subsequent to her intervention, though the curbs on Chandragiri auto wallas were relaxed, the contentious 'auto stand' still remains unresolved and while the relaxation of curbs has left the Tirupati MLA fuming, the unresolved 'auto stand' issue has left the other side of the ruling TD red- faced.

Concern over livelihood of 300 families: Galla Aruna Kumari

Reacting to the ‘locals Vs non-locals’ controversy between the Chandragiri autowallas and the Tirupati fruit vendors and autowallas, former minister and Chandragiri former MLA Galla Aruna Kumari told this newspaper that she was shocked to learn about the extre-me traffic curbs on autowallas who eke out a living by plying autos.

Pointing out that the-re were 12 woman auto drivers, 40 odd physically challenged amon-g the 300 odd group, she said it was not pr-oper on the part of the police to enforce unwa-rranted curbs on them.

Stating that it was unjust to subject the autowallas to difficulties as long as they operate duly adhering to the traffic regulations of the cops, Ms Aruna said the TD led state government wou-ld stand against any such injustice to any section of the society.

She thanked Tirupati SP Gopinath Jatti for amicably resolving the issue.