Autos parked at Ramlila ground as drivers went on strike on Monday. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha) Following the inconvenience faced by commuters on day one of their ‘chakka jam’, autorickshaw and taxi drivers’ unions have decided to withdraw their indefinite strike scheduled on Tuesday. The unions are protesting over the hike in CNG and fuel prices and have demanded revision of fares. However, drivers who work with app-based cab aggregators said they will continue their protest till their demands are met.
Demanding a subsidy on CNG and revision of fares, several auto and taxi unions, as well as gramin seva and metro feeder bus services, had announced a two-day ‘chakka jam’ from Monday.
“Our protest was against the central and state government over the CNG price hike and it will continue. But we don’t want to cause inconvenience to the public. Our initial plan was to hold an indefinite strike for two days (April 18, 19). But on Monday, we saw many students, elderly persons and parents waiting for hours at ISBTs, railway station and the airport for cabs and taxis. Parents and school children also faced similar issues. So, we decided to suspend and withdraw the protest for now,” said Rajendra Soni, president, Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh.
There are around 90,000-95,000 autorickshaws and over 80,000 taxis registered with the Delhi transport department. As per the driver’s unions, only 3-5% autos and taxis were plying on the roads for emergency services. “… We are expecting a meeting with the central government in the coming days. If they don’t meet us, we will go on a strike again,” said Soni.
Sanjay Samrat, president, Delhi Taxi Tourist and Transportation Association, said, “All tourist taxis and buses did not run today. We came to know that many people were stranded. But neither the Centre nor the state is concerned about the inconvenience being faced by the public. So… tourist taxis and buses have decided to suspend the protest planned on April 19 and return to work.”
Meanwhile, cab drivers working with app-based cab aggregators said they will continue their protest till the government fulfils their demands. “Taxi fare was last revised in 2013, but price of CNG has increased numerous times over this period,” said Sunita, who works with a cab aggregator.
Due to the protest on Monday, those booking a taxi or an auto through cab aggregators saw a steep increase in fares. For instance, an auto from Laxmibai Nagar, INA, to Udyog Bhawan, which usually costs around Rs 60-75, was hiked to around Rs 100. A similar distance by cab, which is usually Rs 100 -110, increased to Rs 150. Vandana Garg, who lives in RK Puram, said, “I usually take an auto to office but drivers near my house demanded Rs 100 for a distance of just 3 km.”
The key demands of protesting drivers are revision of taxi fares by Rs 30 for AC and by Rs 25 for non-AC taxis per km; exempting taxis registered in Delhi from MCD toll tax; launching the Delhi City Taxi Policy 2017 as suggested by the apex court; subsidy of Rs 35 per kg on CNG price; and ending cab aggregators systems and bringing all taxis and cabs under one head managed by Delhi government with fixed prices and benefits for drivers. CNG prices were hiked by Rs 2.5, and the current price in Delhi is Rs 71.61 per kg. It has been hiked thrice in April and 11 times since March 7.
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