Row over kiosks at rly stn continues

KOCHI: The tussle of auto and taxi drivers with online taxi companies regarding the setting up of kiosks continues at the Ernakulam Junction (South) railway station. A group of auto and taxi drivers staged a protest in front of the station on Tuesday and disrupted online taxi services.

According to Railway officers, the protesters blocked all taxis in front of the Ernakulam station and allowed them entry only after a detailed screening to check if they were online services.“This caused difficulties for passengers,” said an officer. “The Railway permitted the setting up of kiosks for helping passengers who cannot book cabs online. Due to the protest on Tuesday, the kiosk was set up on the first platform.” He added the Railway has no role in the issue and the police have to ensure law and order. “We hope the state government will take appropriate step to resolve the issue taking into account the convenience of passengers,” he said.

The protests were ended after Railway authorities informed them that Southern Railway area manager R Harikrishnan will hold talks with Ernakulam Central ACP K Laljy in this regard on Wednesday.