MUMBAI: Autorickshaw drivers’ harassment of Mumbaikars continued unrelentingly as 80% of them stayed off the road for most of Monday in response to a ‘dharna’ called by trade unionist Sharad Rao . Nearly 5,000 auto drivers marched to the state transport commissioner’s office to present a clutch of demands, including a considerable fare hike. The demands, Rao warned, must be met by November 9, or else auto drivers across the city would go on an indefinite strike.The protest followed a recent official crackdown on meter tampering, which led to hundreds of three-wheeler and taxi drivers being booked. But Rao’s Mumbai Autorickshawmen’s Union , on Monday, defended the practice on grounds that fares are too low for the increasing living costs. “Nearly 30% of an auto driver’s income goes toward paying bribes. In such a scenario, he has no option but to rig the meter to make up for the losses and match his expenses,” Rao rationalized.The agitation began around 9.30am as streams of auto drivers walked or drove their vehicles to the transport commissioner’s office in Bandra (East). Such was the size of the crowd that it caused a traffic snarl on the Western Express Highway between Santa Cruz and Bandra for hours.“Thousands of auto drivers came come to attend the agitation,” a traffic officer said. “There was chaos near Kherwadi because all these men parked their vehicles in the inside lanes.”Those who did not participate in the dharna still stayed off the road, mostly in fear of violence from rogue drivers. In Mulund, their concerns proved true as miscreants stopped autos and forced drivers out. This, despite Rao’s assertion a day ago that he had not called for a ‘strike’.The end result was that Mumbaikars across eastern and western suburbs suffered a harrowing time for most of the day. Autos were back on the road only after 5pm.“More than demanding a fare hike, the union wants to prove a point since they are rattled by the campaign against tampered meters,” said Roy Jacob , a commuter from Ghatkopar. “They are concerned about a hike. How about also improving the service and their behaviour?”Many citizens accused the government of being “unduly soft” on the unions.Shirish Deshpande, president of consumer rights group Mumbai Grahak Panchayat , said: “We requested the transport minister to invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act against agitating drivers. Fares cannot be increased at the whims of Sharad Rao, who has to follow proper procedures by arguing his case before the tariff committee.”Undeterred by the criticism, Rao warned of an indefinite strike if his union’s demands are not met by November 9. After meeting transport commissioner V N More for 45 minutes on Monday morning, he asserted that the hike in fare should be such that a driver can earn an average of Rs 25,000 a month. Also, it should be increased every January.“The fare should be based on the consumer price index and take into account other factors like premium rates for insurance policy and maintenance cost. The existing practice of pegging the hike to the price of compressed natural gas is not practical. The fares in Mumbai are extremely low when compared with other major cities,” he said.Deshpande, however, countered: “All these factors are weighed when revising the fare.”Besides higher fares, Rao demanded that autos be allowed to ply in island city and share rickshaw schemes be started across Mumbai within 30 days. He also wants pre-paid auto stands at major train stations and airport, and “public servant” status for rickshaw drivers so that the government can provide them pension and welfare schemes. Notwithstanding the demands, Rao opposed electronic meters since, he said, there are no facilities in the state to repair them.V N More, transport commissioner said: “I have requested him (Rao) to submit to me a list of his demands with a justification for each point that he may like to raise. We will hold a meeting on October 14 to discuss these demands.”