Commuters across the National Capital Region (NCR) bore the brunt of three separate strikes which crippled both public and private transport services across the city on Monday.
Around 400 fuel stations downed shutters in protest of the Delhi government’s decision to leave VAT rates untouched, a significant chunk of cab drivers remained offline against what drivers’ unions alleged were “predatory” policies being practised by app-based platforms such as Ola and Uber and contractual employees engaged by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) disrupted bus services demanding parity in wages.
Commuters of all hues returning to work after a long weekend complained of either being stranded for lack of fuel, waiting in endless queues at fuel pumps in adjacent cities such as Noida and Ghaziabad, and of paying high fares after managing to book themselves a cab off an app-based platform following a longer-than-usual wait.
“I could not come home from the New Delhi Railway Station at 4 a.m. because of the strike [by cabs]; I had to wait at the railway station till 6 a.m. for the Metro to begin services so I could head home,” complained Arjoma Moulick.
Others like Mohammad Nadibudeen complained of being caught unawares about the strike at petrol pumps. “Every Monday, I go to meet my children who stay in a hostel in R.K. Puram. I was on my way when the fuel in my bike got exhausted. I managed to reach a fuel station only to hear about the strike. They should have informed the public before launching this strike, through the news,” he complained.
Better quality fuel
Rajiv Chaddha, a partner at a petrol pump in ITO said the protest was in the “interest of the public” and it was about time that the Delhi government woke up to the situation at hand. “In Delhi, we sell petrol of a better quality, that is Euro-VI, as opposed to Euro-IV being sold in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. When commuters enter Delhi after getting petrol from these States, they emit greater pollution, adding to Delhi’s air pollution,” he claimed.
Mr. Chaddha also claimed there had been a 30-40% decrease in fuel sales in Delhi because of the price difference which had an effect on the overall revenue collection from petrol and diesel.
The Delhi Petrol Dealers’ Association claimed its members suffered a loss of ₹50 crore from the day-long strike on Monday adding that the Delhi government also suffered a loss to the tune of ₹12 crore.
Rohan Gover, a commuter, complained about bearing the brunt of a tussle between the two sides. “It is basically a fight between petrol pump workers and the government but the common man suffers in all this,” he complained.
Meanwhile, a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) official claimed several employees tried to obstruct buses even as leaders of contractual employees claimed that half the buses being operated by the public transporter could not run due to the strike.
“The strike will continue indefinitely with more employees joining it. Today, nearly 50% buses were off the roads,” said DTC Contractual Employees Union president Manoj Sharma.
Taxi and auto unions affiliated to the Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti alleged the Delhi government was practising “anti-transport policies” against them. “The strike was to express our resentment over failure of the government to redress our grievances,” said Inderjeet Singh, chairman of All India Tour and Transport Association and convener of the joint forum.
“Autorickshaw and taxi drivers are losing their employment due to wrong transport polices of the government and also due to low fares offered to commuters by cab aggregators,” he alleged.
“We regret the disruption caused to our rider and driver-partner community due to a small group of individuals. We remain committed to serving the city and ensuring that our driver partners continue to access a stable income, while giving riders a convenient, reliable option to get around Delhi,” said an Uber spokesperson.