Traffic police seize taxis carrying people to banks, groceries in Mumbai

MUMBAI: Percy Balsara is a banker who commutes daily despite the lockdown. Since his work involves an essential service, Balsara uses a taxi bearing a sticker that says it’s on bank duty, to get from south Mumbai to Malad. But on Thursday he got a taste of the traffic restrictions.
The kaali peeli he was in was intercepted by police and he was asked to alight. Balsara pleaded that he was carrying keys to the bank vault, which made it necessary to reach the branch on time. He says the officer responded "that it wasn’t his problem." The cabbie was fined and his car impounded. I had to struggle to find someone to pick me up from western express highway," said Balsara.
The ban on movement of autos and taxis, even in Lockdown 4.0, has inconvenienced the public. It affects even those who need taxis or autos to cart groceries, visit hospitals, or get home from a station after alighting from a special train.
“We are not going on joy rides. I was using the taxi to commute between home and office,” said Balsara, adding BEST services made him uneasy as social distancing norms were not being followed.
Unwilling to ease curbs, traffic police impounded around 2,500 vehicles on Thursday for flouting curfew rules. An official said buses, private cars and 2-wheelers were available to those in essential duties to travel to their workplace.