MUMBAI, April 9 -- Autorickshaw and taxi drivers staged a protest outside the Andheri regional transport office (RTO) on Wednesday, alleging that the transport authorities are forcing them to sign up for welfare benefits. Unions say drivers are unable to complete routine formalities at Mumbai's four RTOs unless they first cough up Rs.800 to sign up with the new welfare board announced recently. Those who refuse to pay up are unable to renew their vehicle fitness certification and vehicle permits. Calling it "extortion", union leaders say that signing up for welfare benefits must be optional. Conceding the demand for welfare benefits, the state transport department recently announced the Dharmaveer Anand Dighe Saheb Maharashtra Autorickshaw and Metered Taxi Drivers Welfare Board. To induct licensed drivers, the four RTOs, at Andheri, Wadala, Borivali and Tardeo, began signing them up less than a fortnight ago. "The RTO staff are illegally forcing rickshaw drivers to pay Rs.500 as a one-time fee to sign up with the welfare board, and another Rs.300 as an annual fee. This is sheer extortion," said Shashank Sharad Rao, president, Mumbai Auto Rickshaw Taximen's Union. The unions said the government has set aside a one-time corpus of Rs.50 crore for the welfare board. At the Andheri RTO, more than 100 autorickshaw drivers began to assemble from 11am on Wednesday. They carried red flags in protest and parked their vehicles inside the ground opposite the RTO building. The RTO, for its part, claims there is no coercion to sign up with the welfare board, and there must be a misunderstanding. "We have not made it mandatory. We have asked our staff to inform drivers about the new welfare board but not force them to sign up," said an RTO officer....